SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Bona Vacantia

David Kidney: To ask the Solicitor-General how much fell due to the state bona vacantia in the last year for which figures are available; how much of this was released under her discretionary powers; what plans she has to reform the law and practice relating to the application of bona vacantia; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Treasury Solicitor's Department collected £19,106,467 from bona vacantia, after deducting expenses, in the financial year 2003–04.
	The Treasury Solicitor made discretionary payments of £2,697,827 in the same year.
	The Government has no plans to reform the law relating to the application of bona vacantia. However, the Treasury Solicitor has recently reviewed the policy on making discretionary payments from the assets of dissolved companies and is discussing with HM Treasury what changes, if any, to make to the current practice.

TRANSPORT

Drink-drive Limits

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he supports the proposals to harmonise drink-drive limits in EU countries; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Whilst the Government agree with the European Commission about the desirability of concerted action by member states to combat drink driving, we have made it clear that our priority for reducing drink-related crashes and casualties is through effective enforcement of existing controls. There are therefore no plans at present to reduce the legal alcohol limit for drivers to bring it into line with a number of other EU states.

Motorways

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of competition in the provision of operating services for toll roads in the UK.

David Jamieson: There has been no formal assessment. However, we are confident from past experience that there has been sufficient competition to ensure value for money.

Child Pedestrian Deaths

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many child pedestrian deaths there were in each of the last 10 years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Child Pedestrian Fatalities: Great Britain 1994—2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1994 160 
			 1995 132 
			 1996 131 
			 1997 138 
			 1998 103 
			 1999 107 
			 2000 107 
			 2001 107 
			 2002 79 
			 2003 74 
		
	
	Source:
	Road Casualties Great Britain: 2003 Annual Report

Navigational Aids

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 19 April 2004, Official Report, column 311W, on navigational aids, what further progress has been made on ensuring that the Irish Government meets the full cost of navigational aids in territorial waters; and if he will list the (a) meetings he has had and (b) representations he has received on the subsidy for Irish navigation since April.

David Jamieson: My officials working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, are maintaining an active dialogue with officials of the Irish Government Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) to identify ways of addressing the imbalance of light dues revenue between the UK and Ireland, in the context of the provision of integrated GLA services for the British Isles.
	Since April my Department has received one representation on this issue from the Independent Light Dues Forum.

Private Transport Projects

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport against what criteria proposals for private transport infrastructure projects are assessed by his Department.

Tony McNulty: Any private transport infrastructure project which comes before this Department for approval is considered on its individual merits, in the light of all material considerations.

Railways

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the decision to permit First Great Western to increase the number of intercity trains stopping at Slough; and what plans he has to assess the impact of this decision.

Tony McNulty: The minimum service level for the franchise is set out in the Passenger Service Requirement which can only be changed by the Strategic Rail Authority. I understand First Great Western consulted extensively on its new timetable, which will take effect from 12 December.

Railways

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department gives train operating companies on the appropriateness of discharging effluent onto the track.

Tony McNulty: All new trains built since 1988 discharge into retention tanks which are emptied at depots rather than directly onto the track. This has since been made a requirement of Railway Group Standards. There is no requirement to convert existing direct discharge vehicles but their numbers will reduce as older trains are withdrawn from service and new ones take their place.

Railways

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will investigate possible health and safety implications for commuters between Droitwich Spa and Birmingham of serious overcrowding on rail services.

Tony McNulty: Trains are designed and built to function safely even when full of passengers. The responsibility for the day-to-day safety, welfare and convenience of passengers using the railway rests with the train operating companies.
	I have been informed by the SRA that 'short-formation' two-car carriages have sometimes replaced three car services on a certain morning peak time service between Droitwich Spa and Birmingham New Street. However, I understand that over the next three months the proportion of three-car units used on the service will increase.

Railways

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the length of time a commuter should regularly have to stand on a train.

Tony McNulty: The Department has not undertaken any assessment of the length of time rail passengers may be required to stand throughout their journey. The Rail Safety and Standards Board is currently carrying out research into the health and safety effects on rail passengers of crowding on trains, where passengers may be required to stand while travelling. They are expected to report on their findings later this year.

Railways

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public subsidy has been paid to Arriva Trains Northern in the current financial year; and what the projected level of public subsidy that will be paid to Arriva for the provision of Northern Rail passenger services will be after 17 October.

Tony McNulty: The net franchise payments for each year of the Arriva Trains Northern franchise are set out in Appendix 3 of the Strategic Rail Authority's Annual Report a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The new Northern Franchise has been signed and will commence on 12 December 2004. Subsidy payments for Arriva for the period from 17 October until the commencement of the new franchise have not yet been formulated.

Railways

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much public subsidy has been paid to First North Western in the current financial year; and what the projected level of public subsidy that will be paid to the First Group for the provision of Northern Rail passenger services will be after 17 October.

Tony McNulty: The net franchise payments for each year of the First North Western franchise are set out in Appendix 3 of the Strategic Rail Authority's Annual Report a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The new Northern Franchise has been signed and will commence on 12 December 2004. Subsidy payments for First Group for the period from 17 October until the commencement of the new franchise have not yet been formulated.

Railways

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the financial implications are of transferring more responsibility for railways in Scotland to the Scottish Executive; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The department is working with the Scottish Executive, the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail to identify an appropriate resource transfer from the UK Government to the Scottish Executive to reflect the new responsibilities for railways that "The Future of Rail" proposed should transfer to the Scottish Ministers. The changes outlined in the White Paper remain subject to agreement on such a transfer of resources.

Railways

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the (a) rail passenger partnership, (b) rail performance fund, (c) incremental output statement, (d) rail freight grant and (e) freight small schemes fund.

Tony McNulty: In January 2003 all discretionary schemes previously managed by the Strategic Rail Authority were suspended. This included the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme (RPP), the Rail Performance Fund (RPF), the Incremental Output Statement (IOS) and the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG). FFG continues to be available in Wales and Scotland through funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Executive. The Company Neutral Revenue Support programme is providing significant support for rail freight.

Roads

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which roads have been subject to noise attenuation measures during each of the last three years; and what the average noise level experienced in gardens adjacent to those sites was.

David Jamieson: The following locations on the trunk road network, which were among those listed as meriting consideration for treatment in the 11 November 1999, Official Report, column 681, have received noise attenuation measures in the past three years.
	
		
			 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Al Long Bennington Ml J10–11 Luton (2) A1(M) Doncaster Bypass 
			 A46 Kenilworth (1) Ml J28, Pinxton M6 J34–35, Carnforth 
			 Ml J10–11 Luton (1) M4 J6–7 Chalvey/Lake End Ml J11–12 Luton 
			 Ml near J25, Sandiacre M50 Bromsberrow Heath A40 Whitchurch 
			 M3 Dummer, Hampshire M60 J13–14 Swinton A46 Sherbourne 
			 M3 J4–4A Farnborough/Hawley M61 J5–6 Lostock A46 Kenilworth (2) 
			 M4 J7–8/9 Holyport—Dorney Reach  A52 Clifton (2) 
			 M5 Upton St. Leonards   
			 M6 Ash Green   
			 A52 Clifton (1)   
		
	
	Note:
	Bracketed figures indicate a phased treatment has been applied at a location in different financial years.
	In all cases, attenuation measures were designed to reduce noise levels at the facades of adjacent domestic residential properties by at least 3 dB and additionally to reduce the average noise level to 68 dB if practicable. Actual noise levels depend on the distance and screening between individual properties and the road. Information about the noise level in gardens is not available.

Roads

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of total spending on highways repair and maintenance in Somerset from 1988–89 to 2004–05, in real terms; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Reported out-turn spending on all aspects of highways repair and maintenance from Somerset county council, which is the highways authority for Somerset, are available on a consistent basis from 1993–94. In 2003 prices they are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1993–94 31,090,000 
			 1994–95 35,056,000 
			 1995–96 34,659,000 
			 1996–97 32,379,000 
			 1997–98 25,015,000 
			 1998–99 25,415,000 
			 1999–2000 29,139,000 
			 2000–01 26,712,000 
			 2001–02 35,694,000 
			 2002–03 43,941,000 
		
	
	For 2003–04, Somerset county council were given indicative road maintenance budgets of £35,688,000, and for the current financial year £38,624,000 (cash prices).

Roads

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact on the viability of the Rotherwas Industrial Estate if the proposed access road is built; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The proposal for a Rotherwas access road was re-submitted to the Department for Transport in July of this year by Herefordshire Council. The submission included an economic impact study undertaken by consultants. This concluded that the construction of the proposed road would facilitate an increase in employment at the Rotherwas Industrial Estate of between 690–1,030 jobs through the expansion of existing businesses and inward investment.
	The information on jobs and the overall viability of the Rotherwas Industrial Estate is being carefully considered, along with other factors, as part of the Department for Transport's appraisal of the scheme. The Secretary of State for Transport will make an announcement later this year as part of the Local Transport Settlement.

Speeding Offences

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what factors underlay the proposal to introduce a system of graduated fixed penalties for speeding offences; and upon what research the proposal is based;
	(2)  what analysis has been made of the potential effect on the casualty rate should speeding penalties be altered in 30 mph areas.

David Jamieson: Research evidence suggests that lower speeds result in fewer collisions of lesser severity, and that excessive speed exacerbates the severity of accidents (TRL Project Report 58 (1994) and TRL Report 421 (2000), and international research such as Transportation Research Board, Washington, Special Report 254 (1998)). The Government are seeking to introduce flexibility into the fixed penalty system for speeding offences to address this link by ensuring that the more extreme the speed, the greater the penalty that applies. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 15 June that the Government take the view that greater flexibility in the fixed penalty system would be fairer and better, and plan to take legislative powers, when the opportunity arises, to introduce graduated fixed penalties, subject to detailed parliamentary scrutiny of proposed penalties. Our aim is to address the risks that arise from inappropriate speeds wherever they occur—in 30 mph limits and elsewhere. We are currently consulting on the general principles of how a graduated structure could operate, so as to inform our policy approach.

Strategic Rail Authority

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many staff (a) have transferred and (b) will be transferring from the Strategic Rail Authority to the Department for Transport railway divisions;
	(2)  how much he expects to save annually through the proposed abolition of the Strategic Rail Authority;
	(3)  whether his Department is undertaking work which had previously been conducted by the Strategic Rail Authority.

Tony McNulty: No staff have transferred from the Strategic Rail Authority to the Department for Transport. It is not yet possible to say how many staff will be transferring in the future, or what the cost implications are. The Department for Transport has not yet taken over work from the Strategic Rail Authority. My right hon. Friend will keep the House informed.

DEFENCE

Bosnia

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress is being made in transferring command in Bosnia from NATO to EUFOR.

Geoff Hoon: Planning and preparation for the EUFOR mission, which commences on 2 December, is going well, with key documents such as the Concept of Operations and the Operation Plan agreed in the EU. The Commander of EUFOR designate, Major General David Leakey, and the NATO Senior Military Representative in NATO Headquarters Sarajevo are working closely together to ensure a smooth handover.

Afghanistan

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make a statement on the role of British forces during the recent elections in Afghanistan.

Geoff Hoon: Afghanistan's first presidential elections mark an important milestone in the country's political development. While security for the elections was primarily an Afghan responsibility, British forces also played their part. Our troops in the International Security Assistance Force, for example, increased the number of patrols during the election period; and our Harrier GR7s provided an appropriate air presence.

Afghanistan

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance the Department is providing to counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are committed to assisting the Afghans in ending the trade in opium. The deployment of British forces with the International Security Assistance Force and our training of local security forces, taken together with efforts to provide alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers and to develop a functioning judicial system, help to create the conditions in which the Afghans themselves can combat the drugs trade.

United States Administration

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last refused a request from the United States Administration; and what the circumstances were.

Geoff Hoon: We have a comprehensive and continuous dialogue with the United States at all levels on the entire spectrum of our defence relationship. We have never and will not provide a running commentary on this. When appropriate, we announce the outcome of our discussions to Parliament.

Overseas Deployments

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further facilities will be made available to British forces, deployed on operations, to keep in touch with their families.

Adam Ingram: The vast majority of personnel on operational deployments overseas receive the existing standard Operational Welfare Package (OWP) which caters for communication with families. Where it is not practicable to offer the OWP, personnel are given a cost of living allowance which assists them to meet any additional costs of communicating with their families at home.

Territorial Army

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to increase the size of the Territorial Army.

Ivor Caplin: The Government are aware and grateful for the significant commitment of the Territorial Army including their families and employers. The TA have done a first class job in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
	We are, however, continually reviewing the long-term structure of the Territorial Army.

Aircraft Carriers

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the CVF programme to design and build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Sutton (Linda Gilroy).

Armed Forces (Memorials)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his policy on the public funding of memorials to members of the armed forces who have been killed on active duty.

Ivor Caplin: It has been a long standing policy of successive Governments that the cost of erecting memorials and associated projects are not usually met from public funds, but from private donations or public subscription. The MOD receives many requests from individuals, ex-Servicemen's groups and charitable organisations seeking assistance with various projects. The vast majority have worthy goals and can make an equally compelling case for support. It would be divisive and open to criticism from unsuccessful applicants, if the Government were to pick and choose which projects to support.

Ballistic Missile Interceptors

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his United States counterpart in respect of the deployment on United Kingdom territories of ballistic missile interceptors.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham, South (Alan Simpson) on 25 May 2004, Official Report, column 1616W.

Former Service Personnel (Employment)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what co-operation he provides for companies seeking to employ former soldiers overseas; and which companies have been assisted since 20 March 2003.

Adam Ingram: None.

Gulf War Syndrome

Paul Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has examined the report of the US Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War veterans' illness to establish its relevance to the health problems of British troops who served in the 1991 hostilities; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 21 October 2004
	The report by the United States Research Advisory Committee has not yet been published. When it is, we will want to study its conclusions carefully. Research to date has shown that there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of a "syndrome" in relation to the ill-health suffered by Veterans of 1990–91 Gulf Conflict.

Terrorism

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the armed forces in combating international terrorism.

Geoff Hoon: The New Chapter to the Strategic Defence Review and the two Defence White Papers, "Delivering security in a changing world" and "Future capabilities", set out the significant contributions which the armed forces can make to the Government's responses to international terrorism. These include the role of stabilisation operations and Defence diplomacy in tackling the conditions which promote terrorism, as well as large-scale combat operations such as those in Afghanistan which destroyed al Qaeda's training camps and disrupted its leadership. They also include assisting other nations in building their capacity to tackle terrorism.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries have been suffered by service personnel in Iraq since the start of hostilities.

Geoff Hoon: To date, since the start of decisive combat operations against the former regime on 19 March 2003, 68 members of the United Kingdom Armed Forces have lost their lives whilst on operations in Iraq. 45 fatalities were the result of combat with anti-Iraqi forces and 23 were accidental or from natural causes.
	In the same period about 2,750 UK military personnel have been medically evacuated from Iraq. We do not hold centrally details of the causes of medical evacuations so I am unable to say how many had injuries, and how many were ill.

Iraq

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efforts the UK is making to persuade the US forces in Iraq not to impede water supplies to civilians.

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions UK defence personnel had with coalition partners before the decision to cut off water supplies in the Iraqi city of Tall Ajar in September;
	(2)  what discussions UK defence personnel have had with coalition partners on cutting off civilian water supplies in Iraq;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the US Administration on cutting off civilian water supplies in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: We are not aware that the United States forces have taken any such action.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects British military personnel to be withdrawn from Iraq.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom troops are in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi Interim Government in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1546, which was unanimously adopted on 8 June 2004. We are committed to supporting them in developing a stable country where Iraqis themselves are able to take full responsibility for their own security. We will stay in Iraq for as long as we are invited to do so.

Iraq

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many trained Arabic speakers serve in the British armed forces stationed in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: There are 30 UK personnel deployed to Iraq as trained Arabic speakers in support of British forces, 13 of whom are military.

Iraq

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to deploy the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I have no plans to deploy the Queen's Lancashire Regiment to Iraq.

Light Infantry

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the present interval between tours of overseas duty is for the light infantry.

Adam Ingram: The Army defines tour intervals for the infantry as the time between battalion level operational deployments, and includes unaccompanied tours in Northern Ireland. Tour intervals for light infantry battalions can be found in the following table. Where no tour interval is shown, it is because the unit concerned did not have an operational tour between January 2000 and its most recent deployment.
	
		
			   Regiment   Operational tour  Tour interval (months)   Operational tour Time since last operational tour (months) 
		
		
			 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards Northern Ireland November 2001-May 2002 28 Bosnia September 2004 to date — 
			 1st Battalion The Irish Guards Iraq February-June 2003 5 Northern Ireland December 2003-March 2004 7 
			 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards Bosnia April-September 2002 — — 25 
			 1 Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) Bosnia October 2002-March 2003 7 Iraq November 2003- April 2004 6 
			 1 Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) Iraq March-September 2004 — — 1 
			 1st Battalion The Kings Own Scottish Borderers Northern Ireland September 2001-March 2002 16 Iraq July- October 2003 12 
			 1st Battalion The Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) Iraq January-July 2004 — — 3 
			 2nd Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) Bosnia November 2000-April 2001 26 Northern Ireland June- November 2003 11 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Northern Ireland December 2001-June 2002 10 Northern Ireland April- August 2003 14 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment Northern Ireland June-December 2002 3 Afghanistan March-October 2003 12 
			 1st Battalion The Kings Own Royal Border Regiment Bosnia April-October 2000 44 Northern Ireland June 2004 to date — 
			 1st Battalion The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment) Afghanistan April 2004 -October 2004 — — — 
			 1st Battalion The Queens Lancashire Regiment Northern Ireland March -September 2001 21 Iraq July-October 2003 12 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment Northern Ireland December 2002-May 2003 — — 17 
			 1st Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29th/45th Foot) Northern Ireland May-December 2003 — — 10 
			 2nd Battalion The Light Infantry Iraq September-November 2003 10 Northern Ireland September 2004 to date — 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Green Jackets Iraq September- December 2003 3 Northern Ireland March- September 2004 1 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Green Jackets Kosovo August 1999- February 2000 15 Bosnia May-November 2001 35 
			 1st Battalion The Royal Ghurkha Rifles Sierra Leone January-June 2002 14 Bosnia October 2003-April 2004 6 
			 2nd Battalion The Royal Ghurkha Rifles Bosnia November 2001 -May 2002 17 Afghanistan October 2003-April 2004 6 
			 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment Northern Ireland December-June 2001 19 Iraq January-June 2003 16 
			 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment Northern Ireland September 2002-March 2003 8 Iraq December 2003- April 2004 6 
			 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment Iraq January-June 2003 11 Northern Ireland May 2004 to date — 
		
	
	Intervals have been rounded where deployment began other than at the start or end of the month

Listed Buildings

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's (a) Grade I listed buildings, (b) Grade II* listed buildings, (c) Grade II listed buildings and (d) scheduled monuments; and under which top level budget they fall.

Ivor Caplin: Our records currently show that there are (a) 27 Grade I, (b) 222 Grade II* and (c) 516 Grade II listed buildings (or their equivalent in the Devolved Government areas) and 881 scheduled monuments under the care of the MOD. As the records have been held regionally until recently, a data validation process is being undertaken.
	A consolidated list reflecting current information is being compiled and will be placed in the Library of the House. Details of Top Level Budget Holders, under which the listed buildings fall, will be included on the list. This will be provided by the end of October.

Regimental Strength

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strength of the (a) Duke of Wellington's Regiment, (b) 3 Parachute Regiment and (c) Prince of Wales Royal Regiment was in each of the last nine years.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 20 October 2004
	The information in the following table relates to the strength of trained Regular Army personnel in the selected regiments, regardless of whether they serve away from the main body of the Regiment. It does not include members of other regiments and arms/services attached to these regiments.
	Figures for both The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) and The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire are included for completeness.
	It is not possible to accurately single out '3 Parachute Regiment' and so figures quoted are the total for The Parachute Regiment.
	
		Trained Regular Army strength of selected regiments
		
			 As at 1 April The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) The Parachute Regiment Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire 
		
		
			 1996 675 1,875 1,295 665 
			 1997 690 1,915 1,250 670 
			 1998 705 1,965 1,175 650 
			 1999 680 1,945 1,110 635 
			 2000 700 2,115 1,160 585 
			 2001 695 2,280 1,225 570 
			 2002 725 2,310 1,310 590 
			 2003 725 2,285 1,365 620 
			 2004 715 2,255 1,415 670 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures do not include Full-Time Reserve Service (FTRS) or Gurkhas.
	2. Data have been rounded to the nearest multiple of five.

Royal Marines

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he will make a statement on the future of (a) RM Condor and (b) other bases in Scotland.

Adam Ingram: As announced in March this year, the Ministry of Defence is looking at consolidating the defence estate. The aim is a smaller number of more densely utilised locations in order to achieve the optimum use of land and facilities. Consequently,we are conducting a number of reviews which cover defence establishments across the UK. RM Condor is included in a review of the Royal Marines Estate. Other bases in Scotland are included in other reviews, for example that examining defence airfields. These reviews will consider a range of options and should be completed during 2005.

Russia (Chemical Weapons)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Russian Federation on accelerating the destruction of its chemical weapons stocks.

Geoff Hoon: I and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Ingram) have on a number of occasions met senior Russian officials with responsibility for the Russian programme to destroy its chemical weapon stocks. Ministry of Defence officials maintain regular contact with Russian officials on issues relating to Russia's chemical weapon destruction programme. These discussions include the UK's continuing programme of assistance, which we aim to implement as quickly and effectively as possible.

Service Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Combined Armed Forces Federation UK's pension claims for Service personnel who were demobbed before 1975.

Ivor Caplin: Payment of a pension is governed by the rules of the scheme at the time an individual leaves the scheme. Prior to April 1975, there was no legal requirement for any pension scheme to preserve pension rights for those who left Service before qualifying for a pension.

Seyntex

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 30 June 2004, Official Report, column 357W, on Seyntex, for what reason Seyntex was awarded the contract.

Adam Ingram: The contract for General Service Tents was awarded to Seyntex NV in 2001 following a competition run by the Defence Logistics Organisation. Seyntex's tender was technically compliant and offered best value for money.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Noise Disturbance (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions Merseyside local authorities have issued a fixed penalty notice for noise disturbance since June.

Alun Michael: No fixed penalty notices for noise disturbance have been issued by Merseyside local authorities since June 2004.

Battery Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list facilities capable of recycling batteries other than vehicle batteries, broken down by (a) location and (b) battery type.

Elliot Morley: Currently, there is little recycling of general-purpose batteries within the UK, although G&P Batteries are opening a recycling plant for portable primary batteries in 2005 to be based in the West Midlands. AEA Technology, an innovation company, is working on a facility to recycle lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. This is under development in Golspie, North East Scotland.
	The majority of waste industrial lead acid batteries in the UK are recycled at H. J. Enthoven and Sons in Derbyshire.
	There are no UK facilities for recycling Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries, so NiCd batteries are separated for recycling in the UK are exported to the SNAM facility in France for reprocessing.
	The principal UK mercury reprocessing facility that accepts button cells for treatment is Odin Technology based in Berkshire. Mercury Recycling in Manchester also processes spent button cells. The majority of spent silver oxide batteries are reprocessed by Engelhard Ltd.
	In Europe, over 20 plants accept spent batteries to recover components, including lead, cadmium, steel and plastics. Some plants are specialised battery recycling units, while others accept batteries as one component of their feedstock for example into steel works.

Battery Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of batteries other than vehicle batteries have been recycled in the UK in each year since 1997.

Elliot Morley: We have no data on this and currently the UK has no recyclers to deal with household and rechargeable batteries (Lithium, Nickel-Cadmium and Nickel Metal Hydride) although there are plans to set up a recycling plant for portable primary batteries in 2005

Battery Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of batteries other than vehicle batteries have been sent to other countries for recycling in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) country and (b) battery type.

Elliot Morley: We have no data on this.

Battery Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many lithium batteries were incinerated in the UK in each year since 1997.

Elliot Morley: We do not know how many Lithium-Ion batteries were incinerated in the UK during this period.

Battery Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the impediments which preclude the provision of battery collection points in (a) schools and (b) retail locations.

Elliot Morley: There are currently no requirements that will preclude schools and retailers from providing battery collection points.

Calf Passport Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the consequences will be for farmers who fail to submit details to the calf passport scheme by the specified deadline; and approximately how many cattle have been excluded.

Alun Michael: A farmer must apply for a calf passport within 27 days of the animal's birth. An application received after this time will be refused. However, a farmer has the right to appeal against the decision to refuse a passport if he thinks there are special or extenuating circumstances. A successful appeal would lead to the issue of a passport.
	An animal refused a passport is still registered onto the national cattle database and may live out its life on the farm it is on. If it is female and has calves, these can be registered in the usual way. If the animal is a dairy cow, its milk may be sold as normal. However, the animal may not be moved to other premises and it may not enter the food chain at the end of its life. If the keeper does not wish to keep the calf, it may be moved under licence to a knackers yard or hunt kennel for destruction.
	Since the new rules came into effect at the end of November last year, 2,678,308 new animals have been registered onto the national cattle database. Of these, 29,142 were registered after the deadline. So far 5,924 of these have received passports after successful appeals.

Chief Scientific Adviser

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Chief Scientific Adviser to her Department last met his counterpart at the Department of Defense in Washington DC; and what was discussed.

Alun Michael: It is difficult to understand what is meant by "counterpart" in this question. If the question is meant to refer to possible contacts between Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Howard Dalton FRS, and his counterpart at the US Department of Defense, I can confirm that no meeting has taken place in Washington DC or elsewhere.

Combined Heat and Power

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department has taken in 2004 to encourage take-up of combined heat and power.

Elliot Morley: The UK strategy for Combined Heat and Power, published in April, brought together the full range of support measures Government has introduced. We made a commitment during the passage of the Energy Bill to consider how CHP is treated in the context of the renewables obligation, during the obligation review in 2005–06. In August the revised guidance for power station developers was published for public consultation by ourselves and DTI. Ministers and industry are currently engaged in dialogue concerning the implementation of the CHP Strategy.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on progress on the mapping exercise under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) England;
	(2)  what the procedures are under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 for the operation of the mapping exercise in relation to (a) the original maps, (b) subsequent recommendations on access by members of the public and (c) appeals against such recommendations by landowners, with particular reference to (i) access to information and (ii) timescales;
	(3)  what the reasons were for allowing recommendations made by members of the general public to the original mapping exercise undertaken under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to be submitted anonymously; and what the arrangements were for landowners to respond to these.

Alun Michael: The Act requires the Countryside Agency to produce maps in three stages: first by draft map, second the provisional map and finally the conclusive map of open country (mountain, moor, heath and down) and registered common land in England. Following the issue of a draft map a period of three months is allowed for anyone to make representations to the agency if they think land was incorrectly mapped, or wrongly left off. The agency take all valid representations into consideration before issuing the provisional map. After the issue of a provisional map there is a three-month period during which anyone with a legal interest in land can exercise a formal right of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, which determines appeals on behalf of the Secretary of State. Once appeals have been determined, the agency publishes a conclusive map.
	The Countryside Agency undertook an extensive programme to inform the public and landowners about the mapping process. Notices were placed in regional papers to inform the public of the issue of the draft and provisional maps. Press releases were issued to national and regional newspapers. A series of road-show events took place throughout each mapping region following the issue of the draft maps. The draft and provisional maps were sent to an office of every local authority (county, district, unitary, and the National Park Authority where appropriate) and selected libraries. All parish councils were supplied with both a draft and a provisional map covering their parish. Both local authority offices and parish councils were contacted about their functions under the Act, and were provided with a range of leaflets and distribution material for the purposes of the consultation.
	The representations to the Countryside Agency on draft maps had to be made either on a paper or electronic version of a comments form provided by the agency, or in a written form which included all the elements of the comment form that had to be completed. This included the name and address of the person submitting the comment. The agency did not accept anonymous representations. Details of those who had commented on a specific parcel of land were provided to landowners who submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
	For the purposes of the mapping exercise under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, South Gloucestershire falls into area 3 (Central Southern) for which the conclusive map was published on 28 September. The rest of Gloucestershire falls into area 7 (West) for which the provisional map was issued on 20 May and the conclusive map will be issued in due course.
	The current status of the mapping process in England is:
	
		
			 Area Status 
		
		
			 Area 1—South East Conclusive map published 4 May 2004 
			 Area 2—Lower North West Conclusive map published 2 June 2004 
			 Area 3—Central Southern Conclusive map published 28 September 2004 
			 Area 4—Upper North West Provisional map published 19 August 2003 
			 Area 5—North East Provisional map published 20 November 2003 
			 Area 6—South West Provisional map published 4 March 2004 
			 Area 7—West Provisional map published 20 May 2004 
			 Area 8—East Provisional map published 7 June 2004

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) number, (b) frequency and (c) extent of non-UK fishing activity within the UK 12 mile zone during each year since satellite transponder or other tracking and recording methods were introduced.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 11 October 2004
	Fishing activity within six miles of the UK coastline is restricted to UK vessels only. From six to 12 miles, access by foreign vessels is based on historical fishing rights of the individual Member State, subject to quota and other controls.
	Since the introduction in 2000 of satellite monitoring of vessels over 24 metres no special assessment has been made of non-UK fishing activity within the 0 to 12 mile limit. This area is, of course, the subject of day to day monitoring by the relevant enforcement authorities in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for their respective interests.

Fisheries

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government will provide a full response to the Strategy Unit report on the future of the United Kingdom's fishing industry.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are aiming to respond to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report, "Net Benefits", in spring 2005. The fisheries departments in the UK are currently conducting an extensive engagement with stakeholders on the way forward, and this will influence the nature of the responses.

Egg Imports

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by her Department and its agencies over the last three years to ensure that eggs imported into the United Kingdom from (a) Spain and (b) other EU countries are free from salmonella.

Alun Michael: Eggs are a raw product and are not required to be Salmonella free. Although the levels of contamination of UK produced eggs are now very low, occasional eggs may still be contaminated with salmonella, but, evidence from the testing of eggs associated with premises where outbreaks have occurred, suggests that levels of contamination of Spanish eggs in the UK are greater than those in UK produced eggs, and that this is resulting in outbreaks of Salmonella. Food Standards Agency officials have been in regular contact with Spanish and Commission colleagues on this issue since 2002.
	Those outbreaks where a direct link has been made between Salmonella in cases and in eggs supplied to the caterer have been notified to the European Commission via the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) system. This enables the Spanish authorities to instigate follow-up investigations and take control measures on the farms supplying those eggs. Because eggs have often been used up before outbreaks are identified and investigated, it has not been possible to provide this type of information for many of the outbreaks where Spanish eggs are suspected to be the source.
	In order to minimise Salmonella contamination of eggs, it is necessary both to control Salmonella in laying flocks and ensure that eggs are subsequently handled appropriately. The new EU Zoonoses Directive requires member states to introduce Salmonella control programmes for laying flocks. The Spanish authorities have drawn up a control programme which FSA and Defra officials will be discussing with them on 21 October 2004.
	As part of the Directive, a one year EU wide baseline study of the prevalence of Salmonella in laying hens will be undertaken, beginning in October 2004. Targets for reduction will then be introduced which all member states will have to comply with. This survey will also enable us to compare UK flock contamination levels with those in other member states.

Emissions (Fallen Stock)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has sought from scientific bodies regarding toxic emissions from the incineration of fallen stock.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra commissioned an independent report, which was published in August 2002, to measure and review atmospheric emissions and environmental impacts of animal carcase incinerators in the UK. This is available on the Defra website at: http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project data/Default.asp under Project Code WA0806.

Environmental Health Complaints

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she collects regarding complaints received by environmental health officers relating to (a) domestic premises, (b) road works and construction, (c) industrial and commercial premises, (d) road traffic and (e) aircraft.

Alun Michael: Defra does not collate statistics on complaints received by environmental health officers on a routine basis. Annual statistics on complaints of noise nuisance in England and Wales are collected by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the latest figures being for 2002–03. 77 per cent. of local authorities in England and Wales responded to the survey in this period.
	In 2002–03, local authorities received 224,504 complaints of noise from domestic premises, 12,957 complaints of noise from construction sites, 11,991 complaints of noise from industrial premises, 40,602 complaints of noise from commercial premises, 1,247 complaints of noise from road traffic and 3,743 complaints of aircraft noise. Road works falls under the category of Vehicles, Machinery, and Equipment in Streets, of which there were 15,038 complaints in 2002–03.

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate resulted in (a) convictions and (b) custodial sentences in each year since 1995; and what the average fines were where custodial sentences were awarded (i) in total and (ii) broken down by region.

Elliot Morley: The Drinking Water Inspectorate has brought 35 prosecutions to court since 1995, 34 of which resulted in successful convictions. None resulted in custodial sentences. The number of cases and associated fines are summarised in the table, in total and broken down by region.
	
		
			  Total number of cases brought to court Total fines (£) By Region Fines (£) 
		
		
			 1995 2 46,000 Wales 1,000 
			West Midlands 45,000 
			 1996 1 80,000 London 80,000 
			 1997 4 (3 successful; 1 not guilty) 19,500 Wales 18,000 
			West Midlands 1,500 
			 1998 9 98,500 Yorkshire and the Humber 12,000 
			Wales 55,500 
			North East 6,000 
			South East 14,000 
			West Midlands 8,000 
			North West 3,000 
			 1999 9 83,000 East of England 25,000 
			South West 15,000 
			East Midlands 10,000 
			South East 24,000 
			North West 9,000 
			 2000 5 165,500 South East 12,000 
			   reduced to 126,500 on appeal North West 34,500 
			Yorkshire and the Humber 119,000 reduced to 80,000 on appeal 
			 2001 3 45,000 South East 12,000 
			Wales 12,000 
			East of England 21,000 
			 2002 1 15,000 Yorkshire and the Humber 15,000 
			 2003 0
			 2004 1 3,750 East of England 3,750

EU Legislation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the EU legislation her Department has had responsibility for implementing since its inception; and what the (a) EU deadline for implementation and (b) date of final UK implementation was in each case.

Alun Michael: Defra plays a leading role in the UK's EU policy on the environment, agriculture, fisheries, animal and plant health. Between 8 June 2001 and 30 September 2004, 115 EU Directives for which Defra has responsibility for implementation were adopted.
	I am placing in the Library of the House a list which itemises the Directives adopted together with:
	(a) the EU deadline for transposition into domestic legislation; and
	(b) where appropriate, the final United Kingdom transposition date.
	Details of all Directives in force can be found on the Eur-Lex database available on the European Union's website at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/

Single Payment Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the cash flow implications for farmers of the change in payment date between integrated administration and control system payments and the single farm payment.

Alun Michael: The introduction of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) may have an impact on the cash flow of an individual farmer in a number of respects. The eligibility criteria and conditions attached to the SPS differ from those of existing schemes and this will affect the sums that a farmer is able to claim. The timing of payments may be different as a result of a slightly later opening of the payment window, though this may be off-set for some farmers as the entire sum will be paid as one payment as opposed to an advance in October/November followed by a balance payment the following April. In each case, the fact that the payment window was agreed in September 2003, over two years before the opening of the first Single Payment Scheme payment window, will have allowed farmers to plan their business well ahead.
	The SPS is a decoupled scheme which will allow farmers to adjust their production to the needs of the market. The impact this will have on the volume and timing of individuals' expenditure on inputs and market returns may well have a more significant impact on cash flow than on the amount and timing of subsidy payments.

Single Payment Scheme

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance regarding entitlement to the single farm payment she will give to farmers and growers who lease land (a) to and (b) from other farmers for growing a specific crop for a fixed sum of money for which some husbandry is provided.

Alun Michael: To establish an entitlement for the new single payment in 2005, the applicant will have to show that any eligible land supporting a claim forms part of his holding. A lease would constitute acceptable evidence.
	To claim payment against an entitlement so established, the claimant will have to show that the land in question has been "at his disposal" for a 10-month period. This period may start at any time from 1 October this year to 30 April next year. The definition of "at the farmer's disposal"is discussed at some length in a booklet that was sent to all farmers in England in August and which is available on Defra's website.
	If the claim relates to land that is supporting a so-called negative list crop, the entitlement that has been established must have attached to it a special authorisation to claim against such crops. These authorisations will be attached to payment entitlements as they are established at the request of growers according to the level of their production of such crops in specified years (within regional ceilings).
	For growers who find that the introduction of the new scheme affects their ability to rent land in 2005, some guidance on possible contractual solutions is also available on Defra's website.

Farm Subsidies

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish farm-level data on Common Agricultural Policy subsidy receipts along the lines recently announced by the Danish Government.

Alun Michael: The Government does not at present publish farm-level data on subsidy receipts. However, we are considering the legal and other implications of publication in the context of the recent CAP reforms and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which comes fully into force on 1 January 2005.
	The Data Protection Act puts certain restrictions on the release of what the Act defines as 'personal data'. The publication of farm-level data showing the names and amounts of Common Agriculture Policy subsidy payments generally come within this definition. In some cases payment information relating to public or private limited companies may not fall within the definition of personal data. However, releasing information about only certain recipients would not give a representative picture of the distribution of subsidy generally.

Flies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to (a) reduce the UK fly population and (b) prevent increases predicted to take place from the impact of future climate change scenarios.

Ben Bradshaw: There are over 6,750 different species of flies (Diptera) in Britain, many of which are beneficial insects, being natural enemies of pests, pollinators of plants and decomposers of organic material, thereby playing an essential role in the functioning of ecosystems. Many flies are also important as food for other animals (fish, birds and mammals etc.). There are few fly species that cause problems for people, as agricultural pests or vectors of disease, and for these species there are established preventive or control measures that can be taken. It would be both impossible and undesirable to take steps to reduce the UK abundance of flies overall.
	Scenarios of climate change published by the UK Climate Impacts Programme indicate that the UK is likely to experience warmer, wetter winters, and hotter, probably drier, summers, with extreme high temperatures and rainfall events likely to occur more often. A Defra-funded research project (MONARCH) used these climate change scenarios to investigate impacts on the UK's flora and fauna. It is unlikely that flies will become more abundant overall under possible climate change scenarios. Some species may increase while others will decline, according to their temperature and humidity preferences etc.

Gangmasters

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the data collated from the ACU 1 and ACU 2 forms returned to the Inland Revenue Agricultural Compliance Unit by those using the services of a gangmaster or employment agency will be made available to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to be established under the provisions of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004.

Alun Michael: The Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 provides for information held by Government Departments to be shared with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, and this will include information collected on the Agricultural Compliance Unit (ACU) forms. Specific information-sharing arrangements will be finalised when the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has been established and determined the conditions to be attached to a licence.

GM Crops

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of Monsanto GM maize 810 in terms of its impact on (a) human health, (b) the environment and (c) agronomics; and what plans she has to place it on the UK seed list.

Elliot Morley: Monsanto's GM insect resistant maize MON 810 received approval under both directive 90/220/EC 1 on the deliberate release in to the environment of genetically modified organisms and under regulation (EC) No. 258/97 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning novel foods and food ingredients in 1998. Both consents were issued after an EU-wide evaluation process. Member States (including the UK) were satisfied that Mon 810 complied with the requirements of regulation 258/97 and directive 90/220 with regard to impact on human health and the environment (including the agri-environment). In the UK the respective advisory committees assessed scientific evidence for the impacts on the environment and on human health.
	1 Directive 90/220/EEC was replaced by Directive 2001/18/EC
	With regard to what plans the Secretary of State has to place maize varieties containing MON810 on the UK national list, the Secretary of State has no such plans. At the present time there are no UK national list applications for any varieties containing this transformation. However, 17 such varieties have recently been added to the European common catalogue and can be marketed in any Member State. These varieties are bred for the south of Europe, are late maturing and therefore unsuitable for cultivation in the UK where they are unlikely to ripen.

Greenhouse Gases

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research published in EU member states on links between fluoridised greenhouse gases and climate protection her Department has (a) received and (b) studied; and what conclusions she has drawn for UK greenhouse gas policy.

Elliot Morley: holding answer given 14 October 2004
	The Government monitors European research on the contribution of fluorinated (fluoridised) greenhouse gases to climate change. Research in this area tends to show that the contribution of fluorinated greenhouse gases to radiative forcing over the next century is small in comparison to some other greenhouse gases, and in particular CO 2 , which is expected to be responsible for approximately three quarters of the global warming experienced over this century. However, due to the persistence of fluorinated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere their contribution to climate change will extend well beyond this century.
	In light of this the UK has welcomed the European Commission proposal for a Regulation on certain fluorinated greenhouse gases as an important step in meeting the challenge of climate change.

Operation Noah

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with representatives of the churches over their launch of Operation Noah to draw attention to the threat posed by climate change.

Elliot Morley: Officials from the Department were contacted by members of the Operation Noah team with regards to their launch. Unfortunately, diary commitments prevented the Secretary of State from attending the launch event.
	The Government welcome all initiatives that aim to draw public attention to the issue of climate change.

Organic Farming

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organic farmers there were in each county in England in each of the last three years.

Alun Michael: The following tables give a breakdown of organic holdings in each county in England for the years 2003 and 2004.
	The figures broken down by county are not available for the year 2002. The total number of farmers and growers for England was 2,608 as at the end of December 2002.
	
		Organic holdings by county at March 2003
		
			 County Total holdings 
		
		
			 Devon 344 
			 Somerset 160 
			 Cornwall 138 
			 Sussex 131 
			 Yorkshire 129 
			 Wiltshire 125 
			 Herefordshire 120 
			 Gloucestershire 116 
			 Dorset 113 
			 Lincolnshire 92 
			 Shropshire 91 
			 Kent 85 
			 Norfolk 80 
			 Derbyshire 66 
			 Oxfordshire 64 
			 Cumbria 61 
			 Suffolk 59 
			 Cheshire 57 
			 Worcestershire 54 
			 Hampshire 52 
			 Lancashire 47 
			 Northumberland 46 
			 Essex 45 
			 Cambridgeshire 40 
			 Berkshire 36 
			 Leicestershire 31 
			 Staffordshire 31 
			 Avon 29 
			 Warwickshire 27 
			 Surrey 21 
			 Buckinghamshire 15 
			 Durham 15 
			 Northamptonshire 15 
			 Nottinghamshire 15 
			 Bedfordshire 12 
			 Hertfordshire 12 
			 Tyne and Wear 7 
			 West Midlands 7 
			 Other (1) 34 
			 Grand total 2,622 
		
	
	(1) Data has been treated to avoid disclosure of information relating to individual holdings
	
		Organic holdings by county at March 2003
		
			 County Total holdings 
		
		
			 Devon 330 
			 Somerset 162 
			 Cornwall 134 
			 Sussex 132 
			 Wiltshire 125 
			 Yorkshire 123 
			 Dorset 113 
			 Herefordshire 111 
			 Gloucestershire 108 
			 Lincolnshire 92 
			 Shropshire 91 
			 Kent 80 
			 Norfolk 75 
			 Oxfordshire 66 
			 Derbyshire 65 
			 Suffolk 60 
			 Cumbria 59 
			 Cheshire 56 
			 Worcestershire 52 
			 Essex 48 
			 Northumberland 48 
			 Hampshire 47 
			 Lancashire 42 
			 Cambridgeshire 41 
			 Berkshire 37 
			 Leicestershire 31 
			 Staffordshire 31 
			 Warwickshire 26 
			 Avon 24 
			 Surrey 19 
			 Buckinghamshire 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 15 
			 Bedfordshire 12 
			 County Durham 12 
			 Northamptonshire 12 
			 Hertfordshire 9 
			 West Midlands 9 
			 Cleveland 6 
			 Isle of Wight 6 
			 Merseyside 6 
			 North Somerset 6 
			 Other (2) 33 
			 Grand total 2,570 
		
	
	(2) Data has been treated to avoid disclosure of information relating to individual holdings

Recycling

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much government money has been provided to City of York council since 1997 to help pay for waste recycling.

Elliot Morley: The main source of funding for York City Council's waste management services, as for all local authorities, is through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of annual Government grant. It is for the local authority to decide what proportion of the block is invested in waste management, including recycling, services.
	York City Council has also been allocated the following additional funding and support:
	£350,000 in capital through the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund in 2004–05 for a project to relocate the Foss Islands Road household waste site in York to a larger purpose built facility, with the aim of significantly improving facilities, increasing the percentage of waste recycled and composted to 65 per cent. and also improving operational capabilities;
	£50,700 from Defra to relieve spending pressures on waste in 2004–05;
	£33,200 in consultancy support in 2004–05, as a partner with the councils in North Yorkshire, through Defra's Waste Implementation Programme, to further develop the partnership and facilitate the procurement of services and facilities from the private sector; and
	£18,500 in funding, as a partner with the councils in North Yorkshire, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to raise public awareness of recycling over the period 2004–06.

Recycling

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department's latest estimate is of the future capacity of waste recycling facilities in Leeds; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Department does not collect this information. Decisions on waste management services and the provision of waste facilities are a matter for each local authority. Government encourages local authorities to consider future capacity needs as part of the preparation of a municipal waste management strategy.
	Leeds city council has been awarded approximately £20,000 to undertake a review of potential scenarios for Leeds future waste management and to produce the basis of a future action plan to enable Leeds to meet its longer term recycling and landfill diversion targets.

Recycling

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the waste disposal and waste recycling sites in Leeds by (a) address, (b) type and (c) capacity.

Elliot Morley: The data below are taken from the Environment Agency's waste management licensing database. The information provided relates only to licensed sites and does not include any of the numerous exempt facilities (circa. 500) at which recycling/recovery is carried out.
	
		
			  Address  Type Capacity (in Ktn/yr) 
		
		
			 Skelton Grange, Pontefract Lane, Rothwell, Leeds, LS159AD Household, commercial and industrial landfill 500 
			 Woodkirk, Moreley, West Yorkshire Non-biodegradable waste landfill 5 
			 Kings Road, Brahope, Leeds LS16 8BG Non-biodegradable waste landfill 75 
			 Blue Hill Lane, Wortley Moor Road, Leeds, LS12 Non-biodegradable waste landfill (3)— 
			 Swillington Quarries, Wakefield Road Swillington, Leeds LS26 8BI Industrial waste landfill 25 
			 Land northwest of Woodlesford Lock, Woodlesford, Leeds Industrial waste landfill 25–75 
			 Construction and Maintenance (CMS) Depot, Westland Rd, Leeds, LS11 5LD Special waste transfer station <5 
			 Evanston Ave, Leeds, LS4 2HR Special waste transfer station <5 
			 Belgrave Electrical Works, Stannington, Pudsey, LS28 6HB Special waste transfer station <5 
			 Unit 1, Foundary Industrial Estate, Richardshaw Lane, Pudsey, LS28 6BN Special waste transfer station <5 
			 Richmond Works, Selby Road, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1MB Special waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Weaver Street, Leeds, LS24 2AU Special waste transfer station <5 
			 Beza Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2BR Special waste transfer station 5–25 
			 Ingham Works, Wortley Moor Road, Leeds, LS124NF Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Spring End Farm, Gidersome, Leeds, LS27 7NG Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 5–25 
			 Carr Crofts, Armley, Leeds, LS12 3HB Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Scotch Park Trading Estate, Forge Lane, Armley, Leeds, LS12 2PX Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station <5 
			 334a Tong Road, Leeds, LS12 3TN Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station <5 
			 Aireborough Miniskips, Milner Rd, Yeadon, Leeds Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station <5 
			 Bell Hill Industrial Estate, Rothwell, Leeds, LS26 2AE Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Unit 13 Pennine Industrial Estate, Carr Crofts, Armley, Leeds, LS12 9ZZ Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station Transfer Station >75 
			 Aireborough Waste Traders, Hallam Street, Guiseley, Leeds, LS20 SAG Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 5–25 
			 Far Royd Industrial Estate, Whitehall Road, Lower Worley, Leeds, LS12 6ER Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Nirvanna Farm, Tyersal Avenue, Bradford, BD4 8HL Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station <5 
			 The Sidings, Copley Hill, Wortley, Leeds, LS1 21 HY Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 5–25 
			 Limewood Road, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 2AR Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station >75 
			 Evanston Avenue, Kirkstall, Leeds, LS24 2HR Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station >75 
			 Far Royd Industrial Estate, Whitehall Rd, Lower Worley, Leeds, LS12 6ER Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 25–75 
			 Whitehall Industrial Estate, Unit 14 Whitehall Road, Leeds, LS12 5JB Household, commercial and industrial waste transfer station 5–25 
			 Westland Square, Westland Road, Leeds, LS115SS Clinical waste transfer station <5 
			 Chartists Way, Morley, Leeds, LS27 9EG Clinical waste transfer station <5 
			 Hoknewell Road, Leeds Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Stanley Road, Harehills, Leeds Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Calverley Lane, Calverley, Leeds Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Limewood Road, Leeds, LS14 2AR Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Newsam Green Road, Leeds, LS26 SAG Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Grangefield Road Industrial Estate, Pudsey, Leeds, Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Evanston Avenue, Leeds, LS24 2HR Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Meanwood Road, Meanwood, Leeds Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 Milner Road, Yeadon Household waste amenity site 5–25 
			 11 Bradford Road, Gildersome, Leeds, LS27 7HW Transfer station taking non-biodegradable wastes 25–75 
			 Land adjacent Aire and Calder Navigations, Thwaite Gate, Leeds Transfer station taking non-biodegradable wastes 5–25 
			 Holmwell Road, off Ring Road, Middleton, Leeds, LS109ZZ Transfer station taking non-biodegradable wastes <5 
			 Kirkstall Road Depot, Kirkstall Road, Leeds, LS141NG Transfer station taking non-biodegradable wastes 5–25 
			 Seacroft Depot, Seacroft, Leeds, LS9 ONP Transfer station taking non-biodegradable wastes 5–25 
			 Newton Lane, Allerton Bywater, Castleford, WF102AL Material recycling treatment facility 5–25 
			 Site 46, Knowsthorpe Way, Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 OSW Material recycling treatment facility >75 
			 Valley Road, Morley, Leeds, LS27 8ES Physical treatment facility 25–75 
			 Land off Haigh Park Road, Pontefract Road, Stourton, Leeds Physical treatment facility >75 
			 Coal Road, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 2AR Physical treatment facility <5 
			 Waste Transfer Station, Knowsthorpe Road, Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 OBW Physical Treatment Facility >75 
			 Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 OSJ Physical treatment facility <5 
			 Ravell Cooperage, Gelderd Road, Leeds, LS126DL Physico-chemical treatment facility <5 
			 Knowsthorpe Lane, Leeds, LS9 OPJ Physico-chemical treatment facility >75 
			 Brancepeth Place, Armley Road, Leeds, LS122EH Physico-chemical treatment facility <5 
			 Ingram Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS11 9RD Physico-chemical treatment facility <5 
			 McGregors Yard, Mill Lane, East Ardsley, Wakefield, WF3 2BB Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 Long Chimney, 83 Thorpe Lane, Middleton, Leeds, LS104EP Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 Thorpe Lane, Middleton, Leeds, LS10 4ED Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 Thorpe Lane, Middleton, Leeds, LS10 4EP Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 Redhill Works, Dewsbury Road, Morley, Leeds, LS27 8PP Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) 5–25 
			 14a Whitehall Road, Dringhlington, Leeds, BD11 1NE Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) (4)— 
			 Off Half Mile Lane, Stanningley, Leeds, LS131BW Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) (4)— 
			 Cross Myrtle Street, off Leathley Road, Leeds, LS101BG Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) (4)— 
			 Water Lane, Holback, Leeds, LS11 5PP Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 245 Whitehall Road, Leeds, LS12 6ER Metal recycling site (vehicle dismantler) <5 
			 Barras Street, Leeds, LS12 4JS ELV facility <2.5 
			 Dixons Car Dismantlers Ltd., Wakefield Road, Rothwell Haigh, Leeds, LS26 OSB ELV facility <2.5 
			 Bell Hill Industrial Estate, Wood Lane, Rothwell, Leeds, LS26 ORS ELV facility <2.5 
			 119 Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 1BS ELV facility <2.5 
			 39 Knowsthorpe Lane, Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 ODF ELV facility <2.5 
			 39/41 Crosby Road, Holbeck, Leeds, LS11 OAN ELV facility <2.5 
			 29a Knowesthorpe Way, Leeds, LS9 OSW ELV facility <2.5 
			 Kaystan Ironworks, Albert Road, Morley, Leeds, LS27 8RU Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) 25–75 
			 Treefield Industrial Estate, Gelderd Road, Gildersome, Leeds Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) <5 
			 124 Garnet Road, Leeds, LS11 5HP Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) >75 
			 Pepper Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2NL Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) 5–25 
			 25 Knowsthorpe Way, Cross Green Industrial Estate, Leeds, LS9 Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) >75 
			 Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 9ZZ Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) 5–25 
			 Viaduct Street, Stanningley, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 6AT Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) <5 
			 160/162 Upper Wortley Road, Leeds Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) 5–25 
			 Vickersdale, off Arthur Street, Stanningley, Leeds, LS28 6JF Metal recycling site (mixed MRSs) 5–25 
		
	
	(3) Not available
	(4) Closing
	The capacities indicated are based on the annual charge bands therefore only give an indication of the actual capacity.

Red Squirrel

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ensure that the red squirrel will be included in Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive.

Ben Bradshaw: Annex IV of the Habitats Directive lists the species for which member states must ensure a system of strict protection, including prohibiting taking, killing and trade in such species. This system of strict protection is applied in the UK by means of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994. Although the red squirrel is not listed in Annex IV of the Directive, it is strictly protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. It is also a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
	The Department has recently begun reconsidering the scientific and technical information available on the conservation status of the red squirrel in other member states, and the best means of addressing the threats which it may face in the UK and elsewhere in the EU. As part of this process we shall explore the possibility of including red squirrels in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive.

Refrigerator Dumping

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of refrigerators that have been dumped in each of the last three years.

Elliot Morley: No data are currently available for these statistics. The Environment Agency does not collect data on the number of fridges that may have been dumped. Individual local authorities may collect some data, but these data are not currently collated on a national basis.
	The Government have been working with the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association to develop the Flycapture database, which will allow better national data to be collected in future on levels of fly tipping. The database will record levels of white goods that have been dumped. Data should be available within the next few months.

Registered Agricultural Buildings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered agricultural buildings there were on 10 October (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

Alun Michael: The Department does not hold data on the number of agricultural buildings on holdings.

Sea Fishing Boats

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sea fishing boats were registered in England and Wales (a) in 1992 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Based on the number of vessels administered by the Department, there were 7,912 UK registered fishing vessels administered in England and Wales as at 1 January 1992. The corresponding figure as at 1 January 2004 was 4,097 vessels.

Set-aside

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what species are covered by the term herbaceous forage in defining categories for set-aside.

Alun Michael: The EU Regulations governing the CAP Single Payment Scheme refer to "other herbaceous forage" in the definition of "permanent pasture." We believe the intention behind these words was to clarify that those species which are commonly grazed alongside grasses should be regarded as permanent pasture. We do not believe that fodder crops such as maize are meant to be similarly regarded. However, we cannot be more definitive at this stage as the European Commission is considering the position with a view to inserting an amendment to the relevant EU Regulation which would provide a legal definition of "other herbaceous forage." We will provide additional advice to interested parties as soon as the outcome of those considerations is known.

Small Petrol Engine Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the emissions of (a) carbon dioxide, (b) nitrogen oxide, (c) sulphur dioxide and (d) particulates produced by (i) lawnmowers, (ii) chainsaws, (iii) strimmers and (iv) other small petrol engines in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: Defra compiles and publishes information on annual emissions to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx) sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and particulate matter (PM), in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI). An aggregated version of the information shown in the following table is available at: http://www.naei.org.uk The table provides information broken down between various classes of small petrol engines, both 2 and 4 stroke engines, on the estimated emissions for each pollutant requested. Information is not available to allow trends in the emissions between 1997 and 2002 to be complied.
	
		Emissions of the requested pollutants from small petrol engines Tonne
		
			  CO 2 NOx SO 2 PM 
		
		
			 Trimmers/edgers/bush cutters 772 0.44 0.020 0.324 
			 Lawnmowers 38,146 53.34 0.987 24.946 
			 Leaf blowers/vacuums 3,008 6.48 0.078 2.616 
			 Ride on (domestic) 28,417 91.16 0.735 32.152 
			 Chain saws <4 bhp 102 0.07 0.003 0.043 
			 Shredders <5 bhp 67 0.05 0.002 0.028 
			 Tillers <5 bhp 282 0.19 0.007 0.118 
			 Lawn and garden tractors 144,354 193.89 3.734 93.298 
			 Wood splitters 102 0.07 0.003 0.043 
			 Snowblowers 170 0.10 0.004 0.071 
			 Wood chippers/ tree stump grinders 1,413 0.99 0.037 0.593 
			 Other lawn and garden equipment 34 0.02 0.001 0.014 
			 All machinery 216,867 346.81 5.61 154.25

Somerset Farms

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the total (a) number of farms and (b) area of farmland in (i) Somerset, (ii) South Somerset and (iii) Yeovil constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: The figures below show total holdings and total farmed area at June 2003. Data for North and North East Somerset which were formerly part of Avon are also shown.
	
		
			  Total registered holdings June 2003 Total farmed area (hectares) June 2003 
		
		
			 (a) Somerset 8,212 269,827 
			 (b) Bath and North East Somerset 812 23,366 
			 (c) North Somerset 964 21,970 
			 (d) South Somerset 2,463 77,555 
			 (e) Yeovil constituency 1,038 31,087 
		
	
	Notes:
	Total holdings includes those which were not active on the survey day.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census 2003

Tenancy Reform

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the proceedings from the Tenancy Reform Industry Group; and for what reasons the Code of Practice is to be voluntary.

Alun Michael: The Tenancy Reform Industry Group reported to Ministers with recommendations for tenancy reform in June 2003. The recommendations included proposals for amendments to agricultural tenancy legislation, and a voluntary code of practice to assist landlords and tenants to reach agreement on proposals for diversification and participation in agri-environment schemes.
	The Government accepted all the group's recommendations for legislative change, and, accordingly, issued a consultation document on proposals for amendment of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 in September this year.
	The Tenancy Reform Industry Group considered whether statutory measures should be taken to enable tenants to diversify, but felt that there would be problems in implementing legislative change and had concern that there was a lack of clear evidence of the nature and extent of the problem. It preferred the non-legislative route of a code of practice to facilitate agreements between landlords and tenants on terms for diversification and agri-environment projects.
	The "Code of Good Practice for Agri-environment Schemes and Diversification Projects within Agricultural Tenancies" was published by the Tenancy Reform Industry Group and Defra at the end of September this year. The code will be backed up by an adjudication scheme, funded by Government for its first four years, to consider disputes where landlords and tenants are unable to agree.

Thames Barrier

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the Thames Barrier has been closed in each year since its construction.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 18 October 2004
	The Thames Barrier has been closed as following since it was first used in February 1983:
	
		
			  Tidal Fluvially dominated Total 
		
		
			 1983 1 0 1 
			 1984 0 0 0 
			 1985 0 1 1 
			 1986 0 0 0 
			 1987 1 0 1 
			 1988 1 0 1 
			 1989 0 0 0 
			 1990 3 3 6 
			 1991 0 0 0 
			 1992 1 0 1 
			 1993 5 4 9 
			 1994 1 0 1 
			 1995 3 2 5 
			 1996 4 0 4 
			 1997 0 0 0 
			 1998 3 0 3 
			 1999 3 3 6 
			 2000 6 4 10 
			 2001 11 4 15 
			 2002 2 2 4 
			 2003 8 11 19 
			 2004 1 0 1 
			 Total 54 34 88 
		
	
	Actual closure dates are available on the Environment Agency's website, www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
	The reference to "tidal" closures are where the barrier was closed to prevent flooding or overtopping of the defences upstream of the barrier.
	The "fluvially dominated" closures refer to occasions where closing the barrier has stopped the tide and allowed unhindered fluvial/rainfall flow to continue over Teddington Weir, which has thereby reduced the risk of flooding just upstream of the weir.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Alun Michael: The Department came into existence in June 2001. Information covering earlier periods could only be reconstructed at disproportionate cost. Annual reports, which Treasury prepares on fraud, covering returns from both the former MAFF and DETR, are deposited in the House of Commons Library.
	Annual returns of fraud submitted by Defra, to HM Treasury for the financial years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04, show the estimated total cost of theft and fraud to the Department to be as shown in the table:
	Information on NDPBs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			£ 
			   Fraud Theft 
		
		
			 2001–02 Core-Defra 61,066 38,678 
			  Agencies — 226,111 
			 2002–03 Core-Defra 16,749 96,236 
			  Agencies — — 
			 2003–04 Core-Defra 20,750 1,000 
			  Agencies 171 —

Vegetable Oil

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reclassify used vegetable oil so that it is not considered as a waste product.

Elliot Morley: The definition of waste in force in the United Kingdom is the definition in Article 1(a) of the Waste Framework Directive (as amended). It provides that waste means, . . . any substance or object . . . which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard." Whether or not a substance, such as used vegetable oil, is discarded as waste is a matter which must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued several judgments on the interpretation of the definition of waste and the meaning of "discard". ECJ judgments are binding on member states and their "competent authorities".
	It is not within the power of the Government to exclude any particular substance, including waste vegetable oil, from the definition of waste. It rests in the first place with the producer of a substance to decide whether it is being discarded as waste. The Environment Agency is designated as a competent authority for the purposes of the directive and is responsible for the application of its controls to substances discarded as waste.

Voluntary Shops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many voluntary shops are operating, broken down by local authority area; and what financial or other help the Department has provided in each case.

Alun Michael: There is no accepted definition of what constitutes a 'voluntary' shop. Furthermore, there is no one definitive source of information on how many voluntary shops are operating nationally, or therefore broken down by local authority area.
	The Plunkett Foundation estimates that there are 200 'community owned' rural village shops nationally. This includes 150 that have received support from the Village Retail Services Association over the past 10 years.
	The Vital Villages programme, which the Countryside Agency ran between April 2001 and April 2004, contained a Community Services Grant. During the programme, £314,020 was granted to a total of 19 projects which involved retail services or facilities and which were owned by non-for-profit organisations, charitable trusts or voluntary groups. This information is broken down in Annex A.
	The Community Services Grant also funded retail applicants to benefit from retail consultants, who provided business support and advice for these projects.
	The Rural Enterprise Scheme, which forms part of the England Rural Development Programme, is wide-ranging in its support for projects and offers funding towards the set up costs of community shops. Since the scheme came into force in October 2000 it has assisted eight community shops, amounting to £419,170 grant (a detailed breakdown is at Annex B).
	
		Annex A: Retail projects funded by Community Services Grant 2001–04
		
			 Region/Applicant Project name Parish District Amount (£) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 
			 Voluntary group Witham St. Hugh's Community Hall project Witham St. Hugh's North Kesteven 23,688 
			 Charitable trust Palterton Welfare Shop Scarcliff Bolsover 1,971 
			  
			 East of England 
			 Voluntary group Itteringham Community Shop Itteringham North Norfolk 19,754 
			 Not for profit organisation Monks Eleigh Community Shop Development Monks Eleigh Babergh 23,751 
			 Not for profit organisation Langham and Boxted community shop Boxted Colchester 17,189 
			 Charitable trust Pakenham New shop and Post Office in Village hall Pakenham St. Edmundsbury 25,000 
			 North East 
			 Charitable trust Kielder Petrol station Kielder Tynedale 25,000 
			  
			 South East 
			 Voluntary group St. Mary Bourne village shop St. Mary Bourne Basingstoke and Deane 24,772 
			 Not for profit organisation Winchelsea Little shop Association Icklesham Rother 18,443 
			 Not for profit organisation Buriton Village shop and post office Buriton East Hampshire 14,620 
			 Not for profit organisation The Old village store—Slinford Slinford Horsham 25,000 
			 Not for profit organisation Ascott-under-Wychwood village shop Ascott-under-Wychwood West Oxfordshire 10,000 
			 Charitable trust Tackley Community shop Tackley West Oxfordshire 25,000 
			  
			 South West 
			 Voluntary group Blisland Amenity centre shop Blisland North Cornwall 25,000 
			 Voluntary group Exbourne and Jacobstowe community enterprise Exbourne West Devon 10,844 
			 Not for profit organisation Coaley Shop and post office association Coaley Stroud 10,126 
			  
			 West Midlands 
			 Voluntary group Hinstock Village stores and post office Hinstock North Shropshire 3,862 
			 Voluntary group Bretforton post office and stores Bretforton Wychavon 10,000 
			  
			 Total number of projects: 19   314,020 
		
	
	
		Annex B: A detailed breakdown of how the Rural Enterprise Scheme has assisted eight community shops
		
			 What it is Where How much RES funding (£) 
		
		
			 Village Shop and Post Office Melmsby and Fellside, Penrith 22,248 
			 Ditto Longtown 61,763 
			 Village Post Office Milnthorpe 31,350 
			 Village Store/Cafe/Post Office Brockwier and Hewelsfield, Chepstow 230,384 
			 Village shop adjoining Community Hall Newsham, Richmond 37,441 
			 Post Office and village Community Shop Midgely, Halifax 20,587 
			 Village Store Whittlesford 10,216 
			 Post Office East Hendred 5,176 
			 Total  419,165 
		
	
	Note:
	As at 19 October 2004

Waste Disposal (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list for Buckinghamshire by (a) tonnage and (b) percentage the amount of waste disposal by (i) landfill, (ii) recycling and (iii) incineration in (A) 2002–03 and (B) 2003–04.

Elliot Morley: Results from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey 2002–03 show the following municipal waste disposal routes for Buckinghamshire Waste Disposal Authority and Milton Keynes Unitary Authority.
	
		Tonnes (percentages)
		
			  Landfill Recycled and composted Incineration Total 
		
		
			 Buckinghamshire WDA 199,747 (74) 69,066 (26) 123 (<0) 268,936 (100) 
			 Milton Keynes UA 91,516 (82) 19,694 (18) 49 (<0) 111,259 (100) 
			 Total 291,263 (77) 88,760 (23) 172 (<0) 380,195 (100) 
		
	
	Note:
	Results from the 2003–04 Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey will be available in early 2005.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by how much she estimates carbon dioxide emissions have increased this year; what assessment she has made of the impact on the environment of this increase; what steps her Department is implementing to reverse this trend; and to what factors she attributes the increase.

Elliot Morley: Recent reports in the media have drawn attention to the anomalously high increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in 2003. This is the second year for which the increase has been unusually high.
	Following consultation with scientists working in the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research and elsewhere, we attribute the increases to three factors. These are greater emissions from forest fires, higher emissions from soils in areas where the climate was affected by the El Nino phenomenon in 2002, and acceleration in fossil fuel combustion in both years. In 2003 these factors together increased global emissions by an estimated 1 billion tonnes of carbon, or around 13 per cent. of the annual emissions in 2001.
	Although the increases do not necessarily indicate a departure from the long term trend, they will add to the cumulative economic and environmental risks associated with climate change, which include increased risk of flooding, health impacts, impacts on water availability, and loss of ecosystems and biological species.The Government is taking action nationally and internationally to reverse the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere including the ambitious goals set out in the Climate Change Programme and the Energy White Paper, and the identification by the Prime Minister of climate change as one of two priorities for the UK's Presidency of the G8.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the average cost of setting up a nursery in (a) London and (b) England.

Margaret Hodge: My Department has not made any estimate of the average cost of setting up a nursery. A range of factors give rise to considerable variation in costs including size of nursery, its location and size of the nursery provider. Under the neighbourhood nurseries initiative, £243 million of revenue funding from the Sure Start Unit has been made available to local authorities to support the development and delivery of 45,000 new, affordable childcare places in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards. This will help to create new places in approximately 1,380 nurseries. Revenue funding of up to £5,400 for each new childcare place created is awarded from when the nursery opens and paid on a sliding scale over a rolling three year period. This means that a new 50-place nursery would receive a maximum of £270,000 set up costs over three years.
	In addition, £128 million from the Big Lottery Fund (formerly the New Opportunities Fund) and the Sure Start Unit has also been made available for the capital costs of setting up these neighbourhood nurseries. £22.5 million of this capital has been made available to local authorities in London which will help to create 8,223 places in 237 nurseries ranging in size from six new places in an existing nursery up to 104 places in a new build project. Some of these projects involve building or refurbishing premises while other projects aim to create places in existing nursery settings. In many cases, neighbourhood nursery projects have also been able to take advantage of significant additional sources of capital funding from regeneration initiatives and other programmes. The capital costs incurred in setting up different neighbourhood nursery projects will therefore often vary widely.

Child Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new full day care places he expects will be created in children's centres in London by (a) April 2005 and (b) April 2006.

Margaret Hodge: We do not hold information for the number of new full day care places that will be created by April 2005; this is currently being collected and we expect these figures to be available early in the new year. The number of new full day care places that will be available by April 2006 is 3,554.

Child Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to monitor local authority funding of nursery education; and whether he plans to collate and publish that information.

Margaret Hodge: From April 2003, local authorities (LAs) receive funding for nursery education through the under-fives sub-block of the Education Formula Spending Share (EFSS)—their main education budget. It is for individual LAs in consultation with local partners to determine how overall resources should be used.
	All LAs received sufficient funding to enable them to meet their statutory responsibilities to provide free nursery education for three and four-year-olds. The overall EFSS under-fives sub-block in 2004–05 is worth some £2.6 billion.

Child Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve career progression for child care workers.

Margaret Hodge: We recognise the importance of a clear progression structure for child care workers and this is being addressed both in the 10-year child care strategy and in the wider pay and workforce strategy we are developing over the whole children's workforce. The strategy will contain action to make working with children a more attractive career option. Some of the issues covered will be the development of flexible career and training pathways, the development of a common core of skills and knowledge that promotes professionalism in different sectors and the establishment of a Children, Young People and Families Workforce Council which will represent the interests of the sector.

Child Care

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) financial and (b) other support is available to private child care providers.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start funding of £1.2 billion has been made available to local authorities throughout England for 2004–06 to support early years services and create and sustain child care places. The money also funds business advice, guidance and support. Funding and other support is made available to maintained, private and voluntary sector providers. The amount of support going to the private sector is not recorded separately by central Government.

Child Care

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places have been created in Carlisle since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The Department is unable to provide details of child care places for Carlisle. However, between April 1999 to December 2003, my Department estimates that Cumbria local authority created 11,500 new child care places helping some 20,400 children. This shows an increase in stock child care places, taking into account turnover, of 8,000 helping some 14,400 children.

Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of class sizes in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Somerset, (ii) Yeovil constituency and (iii) England in 1992–93 to 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table. Figures for 1993 to 1996 are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(5) Average size of classes taught by one teacher(6) Position as at January each year England, Somerset local education authority and Yeovil parliamentary constituency
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  England Somerset local education authority Yeovil parliamentary constituency England Somerset local education authority Yeovil parliamentary constituency 
		
		
			 1993 26.6 27.0 (7)— 20.9 21.5 (7)— 
			 1994 26.9 26.9 (7)— 21.4 22.1 (7)— 
			 1995 27.1 27.0 (7)— 21.5 22.5 (7)— 
			 1996 27.3 27.3 (7)— 21.7 23.2 (7)— 
			 1997 27.5 27.6 27.0 21.7 23.2 23.2 
			 1998 27.7 27.8 27.6 21.8 23.9 24.2 
			 1999 27.5 28.0 27.8 21.9 23.9 24.1 
			 2000 27.1 27.6 27.7 22.0 23.6 24.8 
			 2001 26.7 26.9 27.0 22.0 23.9 24.1 
			 2002 26.3 26.0 25.9 21.9 23.5 23.1 
			 2003 26.3 26.2 26.3 21.9 23.5 23.2 
			 2004 26.2 26.1 25.8 21.8 23.6 24.4 
		
	
	(5) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(6) Classes as taught during the one selected period in each school on the day of the census in January . . . .
	(7) Not available. Data by parliamentary constituency area is not available prior to 1997.

Contact Centres

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funds will be available to open supervised contact centres for the rest of this financial year.

Margaret Hodge: Funding has been made available to establish 14 new supervised contact centres. This funding was announced in March 2004, just before the start of the current financial year.

Disadvantaged Areas

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2004, Official Report, column 769W, if he will list the most disadvantaged areas in which the scheme will commence; and on what basis the levels of disadvantage were determined in each case.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 19 October 2004
	Children's centres funding is currently focused on the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England, defined by the Indices of Deprivation 2000 at the time of notifying local authorities of their funding in February 2003. This ward classification is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: www.odpm.gov.uk Within these areas, local authorities and their strategic partners are responsible for deciding how and where children's centres will be developed, based both on local need and the national policy aim to develop good quality existing early years provision wherever possible. Local authorities also have the flexibility to locate centres in pockets of deprivation outside of the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards.

Early Intervention Pilots

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress of the early intervention pilots to ensure that children have access to both parents.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 October 2004
	The Family Resolutions Pilot Project is running in three areas—Brighton, Sunderland and the Inner London Family Proceedings Court—from September 2004 to September 2005. The Family Resolutions Pilot Project is described in the recent Green Paper, "Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities", published on 21 July 2004. It aims to assist parents to avoid litigation in disputed cases of contact and residence. The pilots are based on the Government's policy that children benefit from maintaining a worthwhile relationship with both parents following divorce or separation, where it is safe to do so.
	In two group sessions parties will, with the support of qualified group work facilitators, focus on listening to the views of children and developing their conflict management skills. Following these session, parties will work together with the aid of a CAFCASS family court adviser to develop a mutually agreed set of arrangements, drawing on the Government's Parenting Plan materials for guidance.
	The use of the Parenting Plans will help parties to draw up a structured approach about their future co-operation. The plans give advice and guidance on how to draw up an agreement, copies of which parties can sign off and exchange. They contain detailed checklists identifying the types of issues parties need to cover, such as living arrangements; who the child may want to stay in contact with across the wider family; dealing with holiday arrangements; handling issues about religion; school and out-of-school activities; keeping everyone informed about health issues; and coping with changes such as the child growing up and needing more independence. Once agreed, plans can be taken back to the court for approval through a consent order.
	As made clears in the Parental Separation Green Paper, we are undertaking work to develop the existing Parenting Plans, to include examples of how contact arrangements can work in a variety of family circumstances.

Further Education Funding

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department has given to the Learning and Skills Council on the allocation of the extra funding provided for further education in June.

Ivan Lewis: Over the last year the further education (FE) sector and other providers have exceeded expectations in participation, retention and attainment and this success has created pressures on funding for this year. We announced on 14 June that we will add £130 million extra to the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC's) budget. We agreed with the LSC that this important extra investment would enable FE funding allocations for 2004/05 to be kept in line with earlier indicative budgets for all colleges that are performing to target.

Internet Access (Hounslow)

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the £58 million announced in 2000 as part of the Excellence in Cities programme has been used to enhance pupils' access to the internet in the London Borough of Hounslow.

David Miliband: The Department does not hold centrally figures for individual authority spending on enhancing pupils' access to the internet but the local authority informs us that all Hounslow schools now have access. For details of grants allocated specifically for ICT I refer my hon. Friend to "Funding for ICT in Schools in England" which is available in the House Library.
	The main planks of Excellence in Cities ICT spending have been to establish and support a network of 105 City Learning Centres serving groups of schools in each EiC authority. Hounslow has two City Learning Centres that opened within the last year at a cost of £1.2 million each.

Lifelong Learning

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what strategic role he intends (a) the Open University and (b) adult residential colleges to perform in the delivery of lifelong learning.

Ivan Lewis: The Open University will continue to make a significant contribution to the lifelong learning agenda. The Open University with its open access policy has enabled, and will continue to enable, people to develop their education at all levels. It has always been innovative in its teaching and learning delivery and through this has contributed to widening adult participation in learning.
	Adult residential colleges which are members of the Adult Residential Colleges Association (ARCA) provide valuable learning opportunities for adults especially for older people seeking to learn for personal development. The role and contribution of individual ARCA colleges has to be planned and set in the local context through the LSC's mechanisms for planning provision and agreeing the role of individual providers. The LSC is currently consulting on the reform of the planning and funding of first steps and personal and community development learning. As part of this, discussions are taking place between ARCA and the LSC on the future position of these colleges.

Male Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many male primary school teachers there are in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each local education authority; and how many of those are head teachers with no scheduled classroom time.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: My Department has not had any costs relating to Government owned official residences since 1997.

Nursery Education (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three and (b) four year olds in York attended nursery classes in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Children aged 3 and 4 (8) , (9) in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in the City of York local education authority area. 1997 and 2003 Position in January each year
		
			  3 year olds 4 year olds 
		
		
			 1997 610 380 
			 2003 560 330 
		
	
	(8) Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year.
	(9) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 pupils.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	The latest figures on provision for three and four year olds in England were published on 27 May in a Statistical Release 'Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004', a copy of which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/. Final figures for 2004 are scheduled to be published in a Statistical First Release on 28 October.

Out-of-school Clubs

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in the West Suffolk constituency run out of school clubs as part of the 4Children scheme.

Margaret Hodge: I am informed by 4Children that none of the schools in the West Suffolk constituency is running Make Space clubs.

Parenting

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has recently (a) published and (b) commissioned on the effects of parenting on life chances for children.

Margaret Hodge: The Department has recently published the following research reports and reviews which investigate how parenting can affect outcomes for children. These can be viewed on the DfES website: www.dfes.gov.uk/research.
	The Early Years Transitions and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project (research report 431).
	The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A Literature Review (research report 433).
	Support from the Start (research report 524).
	What works in Parenting Support? A review of the International Evidence (research report 574).
	The DfES has also commissioned research which has been published by the researchers themselves.
	Measuring the Impact of Pre-School on Children's Social/Behavioural Development over the Pre-School Period. Technical Paper 8b (Institute of Education, University of London). (www.surestart.gov.uk/ensuringquality/research/earlyyears/eppe)
	A Model of Inter-generational Transmission of Educational Success (Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning). This is available from the DfES website.
	A report on improving children's behaviour and attendance through the use of parenting classes will be published in November 2004.
	In collaboration with the Department of Health the DfES has published Supporting Parents: Messages from Research. This is a review of fourteen Government funded research studies on this topic.
	The DfES has recently commissioned the Centre for Research for the Wider Benefits of Learning to undertake several research studies using longitudinal data to look at issues such as the effect of parenting on child development. Additional research projects in this area are likely to be commissioned by the Department in the next year.

Plumbing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to increase the number of qualified assessors in plumbing.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have set up the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) with responsibility to monitor shortages, including those of assessors, in a sector and anticipate future needs. I expect SummitSkills, the SSC for the building services engineering sector and therefore the plumbing industry, to be addressing the issue of assessor shortages as part of their Strategic Plan.

Free Tuition

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people in (a) the North East and (b) the South East have taken up the entitlement of free tuition for a first Level 2 qualification in 2003–04; what each figure is as a proportion of the eligible population; what qualifications have been achieved; and into what age range successful applicants fall;
	(2)  what preparations are being made, and what funding will be provided, to give every adult skills up to Level 2 free of charge as announced by the Prime Minister in his speech of 28 September 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Skills Strategy White Paper, published in July 2003, made a commitment to give low skilled adults more support to help them achieve a platform of skills for employability. It said that we will create a new guarantee of free tuition for any adult without the good foundation of employability skills represented by a full level 2 qualification, to get the training they need to achieve such a qualification.
	In September 2004 the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) North East and South East regions introduced this Level 2 Entitlement as part of linked trials of key components of the Skills Strategy, including the extension of the new Adult Learning Grant (ALG) and Employer Training Pilots (ETPs). It is still too early to gauge the level of take up of the entitlement. Data will be gathered on progress with and impact of the trials.

Romania (Adoptions)

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government have reached an agreement with the Romanian Government to re-enable intercountry adoptions between the two countries; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Government have not made any agreement with the Romanian Government to re-enable intercountry adoptions between the United Kingdom and Romania. The Department for Education and Skills, which acts as the lead central authority for the United Kingdom for the purposes of the 1993 Hague Convention of Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of intercountry adoption, has not received any communication from the Romanian Central Authority regarding any change to their policy regarding intercountry adoption.

Sector Skills Development Agency

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much grant he has made to the Sector Skills Development Agency from its inception to date; and what proportion has been (a) spent, (b) retained and (c) returned to the Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) was established in June 2002.
	The Department's Grants to SSDA since then have been as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2002–03 22.5 
			 2003–04 49.5 
		
	
	In 2002–03 SSDA expended £16.8 million, returned £2.6 million to the Department and was permitted to carry forward the balance of £3.1million of unexpended resource into 2003–04 (included in the £49.5 million shown in the table).
	In 2003–04 SSDA expended £34.0 million returned £3.0 million to the Department and was permitted to carry forward £4.5 million of unexpended resource into 2004–05. The balance of £8 million will be expended in the years 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08.

Separated Fathers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government are planning action to give separated fathers greater access to their children.

Margaret Hodge: The Government believe that both parents should continue a meaningful relationship with their children after separation, so long as it is safe to do so.
	In July this year, the Government launched the Green Paper, "Parental Separation: Children's Needs and Parent's Responsibilities". The proposals in the Green Paper focus on what children need and how both parents can be better assisted to meet those needs when their relationship breaks down. The measures outlined in the Green Paper are intended to support mothers and fathers in minimising conflict and enabling them to reach agreements, leading to the best possible outcome for their children, preferably without recourse to the courts.

Skill Training

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has (a) to improve the skills of low-skilled workers and (b) to provide opportunities for unskilled workers to obtain skills in areas of higher than average unemployment.

Ivan Lewis: The Skills Strategy White Paper (published July 2003) introduced a range of policies to meet shortfalls in skills—especially at level 2, and in some sector-specific areas at level 3. These include mechanisms to identify and address sectoral and regional skill priorities, to engage employers better in training and enable providers to be more responsive to employers.
	The strategy set out our intention to introduce a new entitlement for any adult in the labour force to have access to free tuition for their first full level 2 qualification. We started trialling the entitlement in the north east and south east regions in September 2004, and will start further roll-out from next year.
	In September 2003, we started piloting the new Adult Learning Grant (ALG), offering up to £30 per week to adults on low incomes studying full time for a first full level 2 qualification, and for first level 3 qualifications for those under 30. We have now extended the ALG trials from 10 pilot regions into the SE and NE regions as part of linked trials of key initiatives announced in the Skills Strategy.
	18 Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) are testing new financial support measures to improve access to training and enable employees to attain basic and level 2 skills. As of 4 August, 11,787 employers and 82,539 learners had registered for ETP. 20,086 employees had successfully completed their training.
	Trade unions and their Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) are making a major contribution to the Skills Strategy. After seven years of the Union Learning Fund, a further 46 new projects in 27 unions have been approved to start from April this year. These projects are in both small and large unions and in both public and private sectors. They will provide new learning opportunities for thousands of workers. In the last year alone, the fund helped to encourage over 25,000 workers back into learning.
	For the economically inactive, we will improve the support to the low-skilled through the New Deal for Skills (NDfS) by creating a new intensive skills guidance service, co-located with JobCentre Plus where possible, and improving mechanisms of financial support for those for whom training provides a route back to work.
	Skills for Life, the national strategy for improving adult literacy, language and numeracy skills, was launched in March 2001. It aims to help create a society where adults have the basic skills they need to find and keep work and participate fully in society, thereby increasing the economic performance and social cohesion of the country. So far we estimate that 550,000 adults achieved a qualification in literacy, language or numeracy and current projections show that we are on track to meet the target of 750,000 achievements by July 2004. In terms of participation, it is estimated that 2.3 million learners will have taken up 4.7 million learning opportunities between April 2001 and July 2004.
	We recognise that there are variations in the skills base of different regions. This is being addressed by regional skills partnerships which are being established in each region, co-ordinated by Regional Development Agencies and involving LSC, Jobcentre Plus, Small Business Service and Skills for Business Network. They are bringing together skills and workforce development with support for innovation and business development and labour market services in an integrated approach to deliver regional economic strategies.
	The growing network of UK-wide, employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) has a key part to play in taking forward these national skills strategies. Each SSC has a key goal of increasing opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's workforce, including taking action on equal opportunities.
	While the skills strategy is primarily a strategy for England, it was developed in consultation with the Devolved Administrations and is consistent with the direction of their policies for skills. The Lifelong Learning Strategy in Scotland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Parliament.

Spending (Hounslow)

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent in (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary education in the London borough of Hounslow since 1997.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		Net current expenditure on pre-primary, primary and secondary education in Hounslow LEA since 1997. Combined LEA and school based expenditure
		
			  Pre-primary Primary Pre-primary and primary Secondary Total combined LEA and school expenditure 
		
		
			 1997–98 (10)— (10)— 41,715,000 37,462,000 97,098,000 
			 1998–99 (10)— (10)— 45,476,000 39,464,000 101,221,000 
			 1999–2000 1,217,349 48,387,066 49,604,415 47,803,601 111,792,056 
			 2000–01 1,771,267 50,419,882 52,191,149 52,729,894 117,852,715 
			 2001–02 2,009,992 57,004,168 59,014,160 58,960,529 130,504,842 
			 2002–03 (10)— (10)— (10)— (10)— 148,716,381 
		
	
	(10) Data is not available.
	Notes:
	1. The combined LEA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LEA maintained establishments (including both school based expenditure and central LEA expenditure) and the education of pupils educated by the LEA other than in maintained establishments. This includes all elements of LEA central expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). A sector breakdown for combined LEA and school based expenditure is not available in 2002–03 and as an alternative the total LEA recurrent expenditure (except youth and community) is given.
	2. 1999–2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002–03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of consistent financial reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables.
	3. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999–2000.
	4. Data reported by Hounslow LEA as at 19 October 2004.
	5. The financial data are taken from Hounslow LEAs' Section 52 Outturn Statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement previously.

Sure Start

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent to date on Sure Start in York; and how many parents have been helped.

Margaret Hodge: York City Council received monies from both the Sure start General Grant and the Sure start local programme budget. York City Council received £645,991 in Sure Start General Grant in 2003–04 to deliver a wide range of services for children and families, including new child care places, out of school provision, seven neighbourhood nursery projects (providing 125 places in total), foundation stage development and work force training. A further £1.84 million in Sure Start funding will be available to York between 2004–06.
	The Sure Start local programme in York had a revenue allocation of £782,000 over the years 2002–03 and 2003–04, and spent £761,140 during this period. A further £601,860 will be available in 2004–05. The programme has a total capital allocation of £1,075,000 to be spent by March 2006. Monitoring of Sure Start local programmes is done on the basis of children contacted, not parents; the programme helped an average of 185 children each quarter in the first half of 2004.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Arabic Speakers

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many fully trained Arabic speakers work for the Department for International Development.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development has 24 fully trained Arabic speakers. In addition, we have 34 other staff who have knowledge of Arabic at various different levels.

Child Protection

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to support programmes in Eastern Europe aimed at the initiation and implementation of the development of child protection legislation and policies; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In Russia, DFID supports a federal project on Social Standards development and two regional projects: "Targeted Social Assistance" in Nizhny Novgorod region and "Families and Children at Risk" in Leningrad Region. These initiatives will assist federal and regional authorities with the development of their policies, including those concerning child protection, which may lead to changes in legislation.
	In Romania, DFID is helping to develop the expertise of the National Authority for Child Protection and Adoption and is supporting the Development of Child Protection Services Programme. We are gaining valuable experience from this assistance of how reform of services for children relates to wider social service issues. We are applying this knowledge to our support for reform being undertaken by the Ministry of Labour, Social Solidarity and Family.
	In Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and Ukraine, we are working with the World Bank on wide ranging social development reform programmes, within which child protection issues are being addressed. In Moldova we have, until recently, also funded two posts in the National Council for the Protection of Child Rights.

Dalit People

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has systems in place to monitor the extent to which Dalits are included in aid funding.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID identifies those affected by all projects and programmes. We do not have tools in place that are specific to Dalits. DFID also supports partner Governments to strengthen monitoring systems. In particular, DFID is assisting the Government of Nepal to strengthen its Poverty Reduction Strategy monitoring system; this includes working with the National Bureau of Statistics to disaggregate data by caste.

Dalit People

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training programmes conducted within his Department in (a) South Asia and (b) the UK include Dalit issues.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID runs a Diversity Training course for all staff. In addition, DFID India has piloted training for staff and their partners that includes more specific coverage of the caste system.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on economic aid to the countries of central and eastern Europe and for the co-ordination of aid to the candidate countries under the pre-accession strategy met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee made during the Greek presidency; whether an opinion was sought by his Department of the UK Government expert present at the relevant meeting concerning the recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. During that period the TACIS Management Committee met four times: 26 February; 26 March; 23 April; 12 June. All meetings were held in Brussels. The UK was represented by officials from DFID and the United Kingdom Representation in Brussels (UKREP).
	The TACIS (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States) Management Committee oversees the implementation of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 99/2000 of 29 December 1999. The TACIS Management Committee is convened and constituted for member states to assist the Commission with the implementation of the Community's TACIS programme. It operates independently of the presidency. TACIS is the EC assistance programme to the Newly Independent States of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (NIS). The Committee determines the strategy framework for the TACIS Programme, and approves annual and multi-annual allocations to country and regional programmes
	The detail of the discussions in the Committees are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. Under Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the EC is required to publish an annual report on the workings of the Committees.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on aid for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee made during the Greek presidency; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Greek presidency of the European Union occupied the first six months of 2003. The CARDS Committee met four times during the Greek presidency: 6 Feb 2003; 26 March 2003; 24 April 2003 and 21 May 2003. All meetings were held in Brussels and the UK was represented by DFID and the United Kingdom Representation in Brussels (UKREP).
	The CARDS (Community Assistance for Reconstruction, Development, and Stabilisation) Committee oversees the implementation of council regulation 2666/2000 of 5 December 2000, the instrument for Commission assistance for the western Balkans region. The CARDS Management Committee is convened and constituted by member states to assist the Commission with the implementation of the Community's CARDS programme. It operates independently of the presidency. The Committee determines the strategy framework for CARDS and approves annual and multi-annual allocations to country and regional programmes.
	The detail of the discussions in the Committees are confidential and are covered by the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, Part II, exemption 2. Under Council Decision 1999/468/EC, the EC is required to publish an annual report on the workings of the Committees.

Hurricane Ivan

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what studies are being undertaken as to the methods of dealing with the threat of hurricanes in each country affected by Hurricane Ivan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It is anticipated that all countries affected by Ivan, as well as those struck by other hurricanes this season, will review their preparedness and risk reduction capabilities. A variety of initiatives are already under way to identify lessons and, as importantly, to further engage decision makers in the process of advancing longer term risk reduction.
	For example:
	The Caribbean Disaster Emergency and Response Agency (CDERA) will facilitate National Evaluations by affected countries and then host a high level forum to agree a future plan and priorities for action. The Department for International Development is considering support for this initiative.
	A number of Caribbean organisations that provided immediate assistance to Grenada in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, such as the Regional Security System and CDERA, as well as donor groups such as the Eastern Caribbean Donor Coordination Group, will be evaluating lessons learned from this year's hurricane season.
	The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is already assisting with socio economic impact assessments in Grenada, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. These assessments will provide valuable information for determining the investments required to reduce hurricane risks.
	The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will, early next year, undertake a study on best practice in disaster management in the Caribbean, based upon a case study done in the British Virgin Islands.
	The Department for International Development, in collaboration with the Cayman Island Government, has just commenced a study to determine Hurricane Ivan storm characteristics and consequential physical infrastructure damage. The study will aid the development of planning and preparedness criteria throughout the region. Also, both the Foreign Office and Department for International Development's Overseas Territories Departments are reviewing their mechanisms for responding to major hurricane strikes in the Overseas Territories together with additional requirements to promote longer-term risk reduction.
	The World Conference on Disaster Reduction will be held in Kobe, Japan, in January 2005. Although planned over a year ago, well before the recent hurricane events in the Caribbean, the Conference will want to include consideration of the impact of hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne, and measures to mitigate against future shocks in the region.

Development Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been contributed by each (a) OECD or Development Assistance Committee country and (b) multilateral aid donor in Official Development Assistance to (i) Kosovo, (ii) Afghanistan and (iii) Iraq since the start of allied military action in each country.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Details of expenditure (where available) are given for each member country of OECD DAC and the multilateral institutions for the years since allied military action started in each of the countries in question. However, as Kosovo has no legal entity as a separate country, development aid from donors has been delivered through regional programmes which include assistance to other areas in the region including Serbia and Montenegro. Disbursements from donors (apart from the UK) to these regional programmes are shown in the first table followed by DFID bilateral assistance provided to Kosovo.
	(a) Kosovo
	
		Development Aid given to European Regional Programmes (including States of Ex-Yugoslavia) £ million
		
			 Donor 1999 2000 2001 2002 1 
		
		
			 Australia 2.61 0 0 1.39 
			 Austria 0.51 1.84 1.22 1.39 
			 Canada 0.63 24.59 14.70 83.13 
			 Denmark 0 15.78 18.90 21.35 
			 Finland 2.47 1.36 1.69 0.41 
			 France 19.96 6.26 1.74 27.37 
			 Germany -8.86 37.24 36.97 29.83 
			 Greece 0 0.98 0.59 2.72 
			 Ireland 6.28 3.84 8.60 0.37 
			 Italy 1.87 6.71 6.92 7.88 
			 Japan 34.27 12.84 0.53 9.68 
			 Luxembourg 0.33 0.30 0.44 0.46 
			 Netherlands 7.83 10.20 3.73 14.50 
			 Norway 8.91 18.49 12.35 41.86 
			 Portugal 0 0 0 0.01 
			 Spain 0.25 17.92 0.01 25.73 
			 Sweden 9.12 4.97 1.40 6.35 
			 Switzerland 3.76 16.78 18.97 11.80 
			 United States 308.83 125.53 45.59 65.40 
			 EBRD 0 0.70 0.54 16.39 
			 EC 168.43 53.03 38.17 415.40 
			 GEF 0 0 0 0.10 
			 UNDP 0 1.48 0 0.07 
			 UNTA 14.42 14.83 15.00 13.97 
			 UNHCR 0.07 0 0.28 25.63 
			 WFP 0 2.23 0 0 
			 Other UN 0.11 10.55 8.94 14.72 
			 UNFPA 0.76 0.38 0.56 1.03 
		
	
	(11) 2002 is the latest year of available data.
	Source:
	DAC on-line—by calendar year.
	
		DFiD Bilateral Development Assistance(12) to Kosovo
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1999–2000 108.00 
			 2000–01 13.25 
			 2001–02 7.00 
			 2002–03 3.10 
			 2003–04 2.50 
		
	
	(12) Does not include assistance provided through the Balkans Conflict Prevention Pool.
	Source:
	EMAD, DFID—by UK financial year
	(b) Development Aid to Afghanistan
	
		
			£ million 
			 Donor 2001 2002 2003 1 
		
		
			 Australia 4.29 8.51 — 
			 Austria 6.76 8.93 — 
			 Belgium 2.56 4.67 — 
			 Canada 9.88 23.87 — 
			 Denmark 1.67 5.17 — 
			 Finland 6.05 10.17 — 
			 France 6.67 7.90 — 
			 Germany 30.65 61.70 — 
			 Greece 0.96 5.97 — 
			 Ireland 3.19 4.38 — 
			 Italy 15.35 18.89 — 
			 Japan 0.40 21.13 — 
			 Luxembourg 4.22 3.15 — 
			 Netherlands 49.95 58.84 — 
			 New Zealand 0.42 1.36 — 
			 Norway 27.57 40.56 — 
			 Portugal 0 0.67 — 
			 Spain 4.11 11.87 — 
			 Sweden 14.30 18.34 — 
			 Switzerland 5.19 8.86 — 
			 United Kingdom 24.61 87.18 60.39 
			 United States 5.35 245.01 — 
			 AsDF 0 57.64 — 
			 EC 31.79 95.79 — 
			 UNDP 2.71 6.01 — 
			 UNTA 2.50 2.79 — 
			 UNICEF 6.24 6.12 — 
			 UNHCR 4.43 4.31 — 
			 WFP 4.64 1.31 — 
			 UNFPA 0.53 6.02 — 
			 Other UN 2.50 3.19 — 
			 Arab Agencies 0.13 0.20 — 
		
	
	(13) 2002 is the latest year of available data, except for UK.
	Sources:
	DAC on-line, DAC UK Reporting—by calendar year.
	(c) Development Aid to Iraq
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Donor 2003 1 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 110.22 
		
	
	(14) For 2003, only data available are for UK development assistance.
	Sources:
	DAC reporting. DAC on-line—by calendar year.

Tsar Appointments

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many tsars have been appointed with responsibilities which cover part of the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has made no appointments of this nature.

Uzbekistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary assistance the Uzbek Government receives from the United Kingdom Government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: I will write to the Member for Carshalton and Wallington shortly.

Uzbekistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary assistance the Uzbek Government received from the United Kingdom Government (i) between 1998 and 2001 and (ii) since 11 September 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The United Kingdom development assistance to Uzbekistan has mainly been in the form of DFID supported technical assistance. In monetary terms the figures are as follows:
	
		
			  (£000) 
		
		
			 1998–99 592,000 
			 1999–00 505,000 
			 2000–01 484,000 
			 2001–02 481,000 
			 2002–03 785,000 
			 2003–04 559,000 
			 2004–05 (15)500,000 
		
	
	(15) planned
	It is not possible to provide a figure from 11 September 2001 this information is not held centrally and could only be obtained by incurring a disproportionate cost. The figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03; (earlier years not available) include contributions from other UK Government Departments in support of civil society organisations, the British Council, Global Conflict Prevention Pool, and small amounts of drug related assistance funded by the Home Office and FCO. Additionally, the UK's attributed share of multilateral assistance to Uzbekistan was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1998 1,800,000 
			 1999 2,100,000 
			 2000 1,600,000 
			 2001 1,600,000 
			 2002 (16)1,700,000 
		
	
	(16) the latest year available.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

British Grand Prix

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the British Racing Drivers' Club over the future of the British Grand Prix.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with the British Racing Drivers Club concerning the recent negotiations over the future of the British Grand Prix.
	The East Midland Development Agency (EMDA) are currently leading discussions about the future of the British Grand Prix for the Government.

British Library

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the funding arrangements for the British Library.

Estelle Morris: In the current financial year the British Library will receive £90.8 million in grant-in-aid from DCMS and expects to receive £24.9 million in self- generated income. In 2005–06 the British Library will receive £95.1 million in grant-in-aid and plans to raise £24.7 million in self-generated income. Grant-in-aid for 2006–07 and 2007–08 will be determined shortly.

Computer Games

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support the Government has given to the establishment of a classification system for video and computer games.

Estelle Morris: The Video Recordings Act 1984 requires video games to be classified if, to any significant extent, they depict: human sexual activity; gross violence towards humans or animals; human genital organs, urinary or excretory functions; or techniques likely to be useful in the commission of offences. The very small number of video games that fall into this category (32 of the 1,484 published in the UK in 2003), are submitted to the British Board of Film Classification. The BBFC carefully assesses all such games against published guidelines. Under the 1984 Act, it is a criminal offence to supply or offer to supply a legally classified game to a person below the specified age; the penalty is a fine of up to £5,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both. It is also an offence to supply or offer to supply an uncertificated video game that should have been legally classified by the BBFC; the maximum penalty is an unlimited fine or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Trading Standards Officers are the enforcement authorities for the 1984 Act.
	All other video games offered for sale or rental in the UK are subject to a voluntary classification system introduced by the industry itself. This is the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system, which now applies across 16 European countries, and is administered in the UK by the Video Standards Council. Between 1994 and the Spring of 2003, nearly 70 per cent. of published video games were rated as suitable for playing by people of all ages.

Departmental Funding

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which funding streams have been allocated by her Department using a funding formula which includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; and if she will list the amount of funding allocated in such a way (a) nationally by the Department or (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

Richard Caborn: Space for Sport and Arts is a programme that seeks to provide around 300 new sports and arts facilities in primary schools in deprived areas. It is jointly funded as follows: £75 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund administered jointly by DCMS and DfES; £5 million from Arts Council England; £25 million from Sport England; and £25 million from the Big Lottery Fund. Sixty-five local education authorities, selected using a number of indices of educational, socio-economic, sporting and cultural deprivation including Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, have been invited to participate in the scheme.
	In 2002 the Department allocated £40 million to the Arts Council of England for the establishment of 16 Creative Partnerships in deprived areas to provide opportunities for young people to experience artistic and creative activities. The Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000, along with other measures of economic and educational deprivation and an assessment of cultural deprivation, was used in determining these areas.
	In addition, many programmes and initiatives run by Lottery distributors are targeted at deprived areas, using the Index of Multiple Deprivation and a variety of other indicators.

Free TV Licences

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Warrington North receive a free television licence.

Estelle Morris: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, 2001 Census data indicate that there are approximately 5,900 people aged 75 or over living in the Warrington North constituency.

Heritage Lottery Fund (Scotland)

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the monetary value of grants awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund since its inception was awarded to projects in Scotland.

Richard Caborn: From its inception to 30 September 2004 the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded 11.12 per cent. of the monetary value of grants to projects in Scotland.

Libraries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for modernisation of libraries.

Estelle Morris: In February 2003 we published "Framework for the Future", setting out our vision for the future of public libraries in England during the next 10 years. "Framework for the Future" identified three central themes vital to the future development of public libraries, the promotion of reading and learning, improving access to digital skills and services and helping to build and improve community and civic values. We commissioned the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to produce a three year action plan setting out a range of programmes to help libraries achieve this vision, to which have been added a peer review process, and expert help on matters such as marketing and research; procurement; property and design. These programmes are now being implemented.

Television Licences

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the annual change in each of the past five years in the number of households requiring a television licence has been; and what the impact on the finances of the BBC has been in each of those years.

Estelle Morris: Television licences are required not only for households but also for any other premises where a television is installed or used. The estimated annual growth in the number of (i) all premises and (ii) households requiring a television licence in each of the last five years, and the estimated impact of that growth on licence fee revenue, have been as follows.
	
		
			  Total premises requiring TV licence (million) Annual growth (%) Corresponding additional licence fee revenue (£ million) 
		
		
			 (i) All premises 
			 March
			 1999 25.2 — — 
			 2000 25.5 1.1 24.2 
			 2001 25.5 0.2 4.2 
			 2002 25.5 -0.1 -2.2 
			 2003 25.7 0.9 23.8 
			 2004 26.0 0.8 23.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Total households requiring TV licence (million) Annual growth (%) Corresponding additional licence fee revenue (£ million) 
		
		
			 (ii) Households 
			 March
			 1999 24.1 — — 
			 2000 24.4 1.1 24.4 
			 2001 24.5 0.5 10.6 
			 2002 24.5 -0.1 -2.4 
			 2003 24.7 0.9 23.0 
			 2004 24.9 0.8 22.3

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The available information is given in the table:
	
		
			  DCMS Royal Parks Agency Historic Royal Palaces Agency(17) Non-Departmental Public Bodies(18) 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,909 0 13,600 417,493 
			 1998–99 0 0 — 240,530 
			 1999–2000 0 0 — 6,228 
			 2000–01 0 0 — 79,872 
			 2001–02 1,823 0 — 3,884 
			 2002–03 4,300 0 — 22,117 
			 2003–04 0 40,000 — 334,611 
		
	
	(17) Historic Royal Palaces became a Non-Departmental Public Body on 1 April 1998.
	(18) All figures are net of amounts recovered.
	Notes:
	1. Includes only those lottery distributors directly sponsored by DCMS.
	2. Frauds have been allocated to the year of discovery.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Chemicals Industry

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect the EU Commission's Draft Regulation on Chemicals Policy will have on the manufacture and processing of polyurethane.

Alun Michael: I have been asked to reply.
	Polyurethane is a polymer and is therefore exempted from the registration and evaluation requirements under the current European Commission proposal for the new Chemicals Strategy REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals). This exemption may be amended by the Commission as soon as a practicable and cost-efficient way of selecting polymers for registration can be established on the basis of sound scientific criteria. Polymers may be subject to authorisation and restriction.
	The monomers used to manufacture polyurethane will be treated as substances and be subject to REACH if themselves manufactured or imported into the EU.

Civil Partnership Bill

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Women and Equality on 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 177, on what basis it was calculated that clause 2 and schedule 1 of the Civil Partnership Bill could cost the taxpayer £1 billion a year and the private sector some £1.25 billion a year.

Patricia Hewitt: An opposition amendment to the Civil Partnership Bill to allow close family members who are over 30-years-old and have lived together for 12 years to register as civil partners of each other was accepted at Report Stage of the Civil Partnership Bill in the House of Lords. The Commons Committee has now voted to overturn this amendment.
	The Government Actuary's Department had estimated the cost of extending the survivor pension rights in contracted-out pension schemes to close family members. These estimates were based on readily available census data and should be taken as broad indications of potential costs of implementing the amendment.
	The estimates are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   £ billion 
			 Extending survivor pension rights to civil partners who are close family relations Annual cost Cost of providing retrospective rights 
		
		
			 Public Service Schemes 1 20 
			 Defined Benefit Private Pension Schemes 1.25 40 
		
	
	Source:
	GAD

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will take steps to ensure that the capacity of British manufacturers to supply combat clothing is maintained.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has worked extensively with the textiles and clothing industry to improve its productivity and competitiveness. This has included support for the Textiles and Clothing Industry Forum, a best practice programme that has focused on supply chain development. We continue to support Technitex, the technical textiles Faraday that promotes co-operation and collaboration between universities and industry on research and development. The Department also works closely with Skillfast-UK, the sector skills council for apparel, footwear, textiles and related businesses, on the skills agenda and has provided support for the provision of specific training programmes linked to business change that encourage innovation and modernisation. The maintenance of capacity to meet the demands of customers is of course a commercial matter for the industry.

Credit Card Charges

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Association for Payment Clearing Services on the types of information required to provide greater transparency in credit card charges.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Secretary of State has had no discussion with the Association for Payment Clearing Services on this matter. However, I met with them on 4 February 2004 to discuss issues surrounding the Treasury Select Committee inquiry into the Transparency of Credit Card Charges.
	This discussion centred around the calculation of annual percentage rates and its application in consumer credit advertisements.
	In addition, my officials have been involved in ongoing discussions, also aimed at increasing transparency and concerning the areas of pre-contractual information and the form and content of credit agreements.

Credit Card Data

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with members of the Association of Payment Clearing Services on the sharing of credit card data.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and the Association of Payment Clearing Services on the sharing of credit card data.

Fraud and Theft

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the cost of fraud and theft to (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested is as follows:
	Fraud
	The Annual Fraud Returns to the Treasury detail losses relating to the cost of fraud are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,776 
			 1998–99 56,150 
			 1999–2000 2,589 
			 2000–01 46,461 
			 2001–02 6,000 
		
	
	These are total figures covering the Department, including its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	I will write to the hon. Member with the figure for 2002–03 as soon as possible.
	Theft
	The figures for the cost of theft are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1998 (19)11,267 
			 1999 (19)10,985 
			 2000 (19)5,870 
			 2001 (19)18,782 
			 2002 (19)65,131 
			 2003 (20)98,426 
		
	
	(19) Figures included Department and its Agencies.
	(20) Figure for the Department only.
	The figure of £98,426 for 2003 does not cover the Agencies or the non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Information from Agencies is being collected now and will be provided to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	In many cases the stolen equipment was provided as a service item by the DTI's IT supplier. These items would be replaced at no further cost to the DTI as part of the ongoing service charge. However, the value of the item has been included in the stated figure owing to the difficulty in separating these items from other recorded thefts.
	The DTI does not hold information on thefts within its NDPBs for any of the years in question.
	I regret that the figures on thefts for 1997 cannot be provided as the information is no longer available.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which funding streams have been allocated by her Department using a funding formula which includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; and if she will list the amount of funding allocated in such a way (a) nationally by the Department or (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government's support for the Regional Development Agencies in 2004–05 is distributed between the nine regions using a formula that uses data from the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 at an aggregated regional level. The deprivation indicator accounts for about 28 per cent. of the formula. A range of other factors including productivity and unemployment are also used in the formula. The amount of money available for allocation under the formula is £1.9 billion, of which my Department contributes £236 million.
	The Small Business Service funding, for business support services, to the Business Link Operators in 2004–05 is also distributed between the regions using a formula which uses data from the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000. Deprivation accounts for 7.2 per cent. of the formula. A range of other factors including Resident Adult Population, the Inter Departmental Business Register (of all VAT and PAYE registered companies) and a business Start-ups indicator are also used in the formula. The total amount of money allocated under that formula is £139.5 million.

Internet Access

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the level of internet access in the UK; what plans she has for universal access; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	Opportunities to get online are almost universally available. 58 per cent. of the population are now regular users of the internet and 52 per cent. of UK adults now have internet access at home. With more than 6,000 UK online centres, over 99 per cent. of households are within 10 kilometres of public internet access.

Networking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures her Department has taken to promote networking within and between various sectors in the economy.

Mike O'Brien: In April 2004 the DTI launched a new business support product, Knowledge Transfer Networks, specifically to assist businesses in sharing knowledge appropriately with others both within and between industry sectors.
	Knowledge Transfer Networks provide financial support to organisations that have the capability to establish or enhance networks in key technology areas. Funding is administered through biannual competitions. This will build on and enhance the existing successful Faradays and others such as NAMTEC (National Metals Technical Centre). Over the past 10 months funding for two national networks has been granted:
	one in the area of micro and nanotechnology (MNT) and the other in the area of composite materials.
	The UK Micro and Nanotechnology (MNT) Network has been established, in January 2004, by the DTI and the 12 Regional Development Agencies and devolved Administrations working together, to provide a market-oriented focus for the facilities, people and organisations engaged in micro and nanotechnologies in the UK.
	The National Composites Network was announced in July 2004, its purpose being to disseminate lighter, stronger composites technologies for aerospace, automotive, construction and other industries. The network will have various regional centres, each of which will specialise in particular technologies. The centre in South Wales at the ECM 2 (European Centre for Materials and Materials) will specialise in non-destructive testing technology.
	These measures are in addition to those of Regional Development Agencies and devolved Administrations who actively support local and regional business networks, and the work that DTI are doing to support organisations such as the TUC, CBI and Trade Association Forum.

Nuclear Waste

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of (a) intermediate and (b) low level nuclear waste are stored at (i) Dounreay and (ii) the Chapelcross Tritium Processing Plant.

Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has approximately 4,185 metres cubed of intermediate and 39,724 metres cubed of low level waste associated with its Research and Material test reactor, stored at Dounreay, Caithness.
	The Chapelcross power station site, which includes the Tritium Processing Plant, has 59.2 metres cubed of intermediate and 153.9 metres cubed of low level waste stored at the site.

Post Office

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many sub-post offices have closed in (a) Suffolk and (b) the West Suffolk parliamentary constituency since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am advised by Post Office Ltd. that data on post office closures by county or constituency is not available in the form requested, as the company does not require this data for operational purposes. However, it has produced quarterly statistics on post office closures by Government region/country since March 2000 and the net closure figures for East of England are:
	
		
			 Year to end: Number 
		
		
			 March 2001 70 
			 March 2002 21 
			 March 2003 33 
			 March 2004 108 
			 March 2005(21) 35 
		
	
	(21) First quarter only

Royal Mail plc/British Nuclear Fuels

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much capital she estimates would be raised from the privatisation of Royal Mail plc.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Privatisation of the Royal Mail is not on the Government's agenda. There are no plans to dispose of the Government's shareholding in the Royal Mail.

Royal Mail plc/British Nuclear Fuels

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the alternative forms of ownership her Department is assessing for (a) Royal Mail plc and (b) British Nuclear Fuels.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Privatisation of the Royal Mail or British Nuclear Fuels plc is not on the Government's agenda. There are no plans to dispose of the Government's shareholding in the Royal Mail or its shareholding in British Nuclear Fuels plc (or, following the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the new holding company of the BNFL group). However, proposals for involving the private sector in individual BNFL businesses will be examined on their merits.

Targeted Growth Sectors

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the targeted growth sectors are for each region of the UK; and what Government support is being given to each sector for such growth.

Jacqui Smith: The Government's strategy is to build strong regional economies in order to achieve prosperity for all. Our aim is to make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions and over the longer term to reduce the gap in growth rates. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) play a vital role in this work. They are the strategic catalysts of economic development in their regions. Through each region's Regional Economic Strategies (RES), RDAs are working to build on the strengths of their regions and to correct weaknesses.
	The RDAs in England work closely with regional and sub-regional partners and stakeholders to produce RES which set out the medium to long-term vision for the economic development of their regions. The RES identify key clusters and business sectors for each region. Through dialogue with DTI Directorates in the development of RES, cross-regional issues can be identified and appropriate partnership approaches implemented for reconciling them.
	The RES is intended to drive the prioritisation of all regionally-active public sector bodies, and increasingly it is doing so, setting spatial, and strategic priorities.The RES provides a coherent approach that develops synergy addressing a number of government initiatives. Current guidance on RES can be viewed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/rda/info/res.htm
	The Department has also set up Innovation and Growth Teams (IGTs) to cover the following sectors: automotive; software and digital content and related services; chemicals; environmental goods and services; aerospace; bioscience; and electronics.

Women and Work Commission

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her written statement of 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 6–8WS, on the Women and Work Commission, what elements of the terms of reference of the Women and Work Commission are distinct from the remit and responsibilities of (a) the Equal Opportunities Commission and (b) the Women and Equality Unit; and what steps she is taking to avoid overlap and duplication of responsibility.

Jacqui Smith: The Equal Opportunities Commission was established under the Sex Discrimination Act. This statutory, independent body works towards eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity between the sexes. It also keeps under review the working of the Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts. It is the main source of gender-related information and advice to the general public and businesses.
	The Women and Equality Unit is part of the Department of Trade and Industry and has joint responsibility for its objective of maximizing potential in the workplace. In addition, the Unit provides support to my right hon. Friend the Minister for Women.
	The Women and Work Commission is distinct as it is a taskforce bringing together the social partners and experts in a wide range of fields. It will examine the evidence, think creatively and make recommendations to the Prime Minister within a year to tackle the pay and opportunities gap.
	The Women and Work Commissioners include the Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission to ensure that the EOC's work is taken into account and not duplicated. It is serviced by the Women and Equality Unit, which will ensure that their work is also drawn on and not duplicated by the Women and Work Commission.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Record Checks

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will estimate the (a) average and (b) maximum time taken to process (i) a Criminal Records Bureau check, (ii) a full protection of vulnerable adults check (POVA) and (iii) a POVA first check;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on delays by the Criminal Records Bureau in processing protection of vulnerable adults first checks;
	(3)  what targets the Criminal Records Bureau has been set for processing protection of vulnerable adults first checks; and in what percentage of cases this target has been met.

Hazel Blears: On the introduction of the POVAFirst service, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) published the following service standard:
	To complete 98 per cent. of valid POVAFirst requests within 48 hours and 100 per cent. of checks within 72 hours. (This target does not include weekends or bank holidays).
	The CRB is now delivering 80 per cent. within 48 hours and 96 per cent. in 72 hours and these figures will improve further. However, it is important to note that CRB's service standard applies only once the Bureau has received a fully completed/valid Disclosure application form and a fully completed POVAFirst request. The average time taken by the CRB to process a POVAFirst check is one day. The maximum time taken to process checks in October was 25 days, while clearing the last few old applications.
	For the first few weeks following the launch of the POVAFirst service the Bureau operated outside of its service standards. This dip in performance was largely due to the volume of POVAFirst requests received and because a number of registered bodies have been failing to follow the POVAFirst guidelines correctly, resulting in over 72 per cent. of all initial requests being returned to the registered body for correction. These have caused the Bureau's resources to be diverted away from processing correctly submitted requests in a timely manner. The situation has now improved and I can confirm that the overwhelming majority of POVAFirst requests are now being cleared within service standards.
	The POVA check is incorporated within the CRB's overall Disclosure process and the only indicator available to measure the time taken by the CRB when checking the POVA list is the figure provided for completion of full criminal records checks.
	Over the past 12 months, on average, 94 per cent. of Standard Disclosures have been issued within two weeks; and 91.5 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures have been issued within four weeks. These performance figures exceed the Bureau's published service standards of issuing 90 per cent. of Standard Disclosures within two weeks and 90 per cent. of Enhanced Disclosures within four weeks.
	The processing of Standard Disclosures is entirely within the control of the CRB, however, Enhanced Disclosures involve an additional level of checking with local police forces. On 22 June Sir Michael Bichard published his report on Soham, in which he criticised local police forces in their handling of their local intelligence searches. Since then many forces have reviewed their handling and recording of local police information. This has impacted the CRB's public service standard for processing Enhanced Disclosure applications. The CRB are working very closely with each force to help them improve the time it is taking them to process these local checks. The CRB has in the past seconded a number of staff to forces to help them reduce the number of outstanding checks as quickly as possible. This action has already seen a rapid improvement in the performance of a number of forces.

Animal Welfare

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with animal welfare groups concerning the need to introduce further legislation to tackle badger-related crimes;
	(2)  what plans he has to designate badger-related crime as a notifiable offence.

Hazel Blears: I welcomed the opportunity to meet representatives of Naturewatch and other key organisations to hear their concerns about the law and other issues in relation to badgers. I made clear once again the Government's utter abhorrence of badger-baiting and similar practices. Primary responsibility for legislation on the protection of badgers rests with colleagues in Defra. I noted the organisations' particular concern that there should be clear statistics. Although the principal offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 carry the possibility of imprisonment, in common with very many others on the Statute Book they are triable only by a magistrates court. Only offences triable in the Crown court are notifiable to the Home Office for the purpose of crime statistics. I made it clear that we are anxious to explore other options and Home Office officials continue to seek, with the Association of Chief Police Officers, a solution that will address the concerns of all parties and that will inform the decisions of chief police officers about the deployment of resources to tackle these deplorable offences.

ASBOs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders were issued in each local authority area in England in each quarter from 2000–01 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the table (which has been sent to the Library) by financial year. Data by quarter can be provided only at disproportionate costs.

ASBOs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been served by local authorities in (a) Sefton and (b) England since this measure was introduced.

Hazel Blears: Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) have been available to the courts since 1 April 1999. From commencement and up to 31 May 2000 data was collected by police force area on numbers of ASBOs only.
	From 1 June 2000 up to 31 March 2004 (latest available), the Home Office has been notified of five ASBOs issued where Sefton Metropolitan borough council was the main complainant and the restrictions imposed are specific to that area. Within England, during this same period, a total of 1,098 notifications have been received of ASBOs issued where the main complainant was a local government authority.
	Data are collected on the complainant only on those orders issued in the magistrates' court, acting in its civil capacity, and within the county courts. Orders can also be made following conviction of an offence in the criminal courts—there is no applicant for these orders.

CCTV

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in (a) vehicle-related crime and (b) criminal damage in the area covered by round 2 of the CCTV challenge competition in Buckingham.

Hazel Blears: Buckingham received no direct funding for CCTV under the CCTV Challenge Competition, which ran from 1994 to 1999. However, under the Crime Reduction Programme CCTV initiative from 1999 to 2003, the county of Buckinghamshire received a total of £1,006,127 for a number of schemes in Beaconsfield, Chesham, Amersham and High Wycombe.
	Buckingham comes within the Aylesbury Vale Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. The available published information relates to vehicle crime offences recorded in that partnership area. This data cover 1999–2000 to 2003–04 and are given in the tables. Numbers of recorded crimes have been affected by changes in reporting and recording practice. In particular, the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 led to an increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police nationally.
	Information on criminal damage for Aylesbury Vale has not been published centrally.
	
		Pre-NCRS
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 1999–2000 3,108 
			 2000–01 2,616 
			 2001–02 2,448 
		
	
	
		Post-NCRS
		
			  Number of offences 
		
		
			 2002–03 2,164 
			 2003–04 2,063

Communications Interception

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedure follows a situation where a communication is unlawfully intercepted but product from that interception provides prima facie evidence that a lawful interception might be justified.

David Blunkett: The procedures for the issuing of a lawful interception warrant are set out in Part I Chapter I of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Community Sentencing

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what measures he plans to introduce to improve the success rate of community sentencing;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of non-custodial sentences.

Paul Goggins: Community sentences must be effective and must command the confidence of sentencers and of the general public. Work to strengthen them is continuous and ongoing.
	The establishment of the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel, which accredits programmes and interventions to ensure they are based on the best available evidence on what works in reducing re-offending, has been an important step in ensuring community sentences are effective. The Panel's work is now reflected in legislation that offers such programmes as conditions in court orders.
	There is an ongoing focus on improving and sustaining the quality of delivery. For example, the enforcement of community orders continues to improve with 84 per cent. of all breach action being taken within the 10 days required by the probation national standards, compared with 52 per cent. in 2001.
	Work on performance improvement in the delivery of programmes continues to yield improvements in referral, commencement and completion. The percentage of offenders completing offending behaviour programmes has risen from 37 per cent. in 2001–02 to around 60 per cent. in the current financial year. Completion rates for some programmes are much higher, for example 89 per cent. of offenders complete the Drink Impaired Drivers programme.
	It is more difficult to secure compliance where offenders have multiple problems and chaotic lives but the completion rate for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders is rising. There is an ongoing programme of monitoring and improvement, backed by rigorous enforcement to try to increase the number of offenders who complete orders successfully.
	The probation service has also increased the number of interventions that assist offenders to increase their skills and improve their chances of finding work. Almost 15,000 offenders started basic skills courses last year and in the first five months of this financial year alone 14,249 offenders have completed enhanced community punishment (ECP) orders. This is against a target of 30,000 completions for the year.
	This Government has introduced intensive new penalties such as the Intensive Change and Control Programme (ICCP). The ICCP is an intensive community sentence for 18 to 20 year olds. It is currently being delivered in 17 probation areas. ICCP provides a tightly structured routine that includes intensive interventions, electronically monitored curfews and police surveillance.
	The Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduces the Community Order which will give judges and magistrates greater flexibility to tailor sentences to the circumstances of the individual offender.
	The new National Offender Management Service will provide the right organisational context to ensure that the Community Order has maximum impact. The Community Order will be implemented next spring.
	Underpinning these developments is the Offender Assessment System (OASys) which enables probation staff to identify the risks posed by offenders and the criminogenic factors (such as drug misuse or antisocial attitudes) that need to be tackled to reduce the likelihood of further offending.

Crime Detection (North of England)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on crime detection rates in the North of England.

Hazel Blears: The Detection rate for the north of England, comprising eight forces in the North West and North East regions, stood at 26 per cent. for 2003–04. This is the same as the equivalent figure for the previous year. This figure compares favourably with the national average detection rate of 23 per cent.
	There is a recognition that there is a need to improve performance in investigating crime and achieving a higher rate of detections is part of that programme. A series of steps are being taken by the Home Office, in conjunction with other police stakeholders, to raise the detection rates of all forces in England and Wales.

Crime Detection (North of England)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reasons for the fall in the crime detection rates in (a) Durham and (b) Northumbria.

Hazel Blears: Northumbria's detection rate for the financial year 2003–04 was 31 per cent., a one per cent. decline on the previous year. Durham's detection rate in 2003–04 was 29 per cent. declining from 34 per cent. in the previous year.
	Performance of Police forces in England and Wales is assessed by comparison with forces that have similar environments to be policed. These are known as Most Similar Forces.
	The performance of both Durham and Northumbria is above their Most Similar Force averages. The percentage of offences brought to justice (convicted) actually increased in both forces in 2003–04 suggesting that the proportion of detected offences that are ultimately converted into an OBTJ has increased.
	There has been a fall in detection rates nationally, however changes in counting rules for detections and crimes have contributed to this.
	We are in the process of a nation-wide drive to improve performance in investigating crime and the Government is taking steps across the country to secure performance improvements in the detection rates of all forces.

Doorstep Selling and Cold Calling

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department will be responding to the Department for Trade and Industry consultation on doorstep selling and cold calling.

Hazel Blears: We will not be responding separately as part of the consultation process.
	The Home Office has worked closely with the Department of Trade and Industry during the drafting of the consultation document and issues of interest to the Home Office were included at that time.
	Once the consultation period has closed, the Government as a whole will consider the views of the respondents and reach a decision.

Doorstep Selling and Cold Calling

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to achieve a cross-departmental approach to combat crime and unscrupulous trading associated with doorstep cold calling.

Hazel Blears: The Distraction Burglary Task Force, in its Good Practice Guide published in 2001, identified the need for a cross-departmental and multi-agency approach to tackling this crime. We have been consistently promoting this at the local level.
	We have also been implementing this approach through the Task Force itself, which contains representatives of various key stakeholders including the police, trading standards and the voluntary sector. The Home Office has also held discussions relating to distraction burglary with both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Health.
	In addition, my hon. Friend—the Minister for Employment Relations, Competition and Consumers (Fiona Mactaggart) has proposed a cross-departmental ministerial group to enable us to build on our strong joint working to date.

Long Baton

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training police officers are given on the use of the long baton; and what instructions they are given regarding striking people on the head.

Hazel Blears: Recruits to the police service receive between two hours and five hours training in the use of batons during the course of their initial training. The time varies according to where the training takes place and the type of baton used. Under Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines, officers should subsequently undergo a minimum of 12 hours a year personal safety refresher training, which includes the use of batons.
	Officers are made aware of the medical implications of striking any part of the body and should take these into account, together with their legal powers, when considering the use of force. Use of force by police officers must be reasonable and within the law.

Mr. Ghazi Kassim

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications for (a) security and (b) police management following the conviction of Mr.Ghazi Kassim.

David Blunkett: The circumstances surrounding this case are a matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. There are no wider implications for the national security of the UK.

Multiculturalism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to undertake an inquiry into the attitudes and opinions on race and ethnicity of those between the ages of 20 and 30.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office citizenship survey, which takes place every two years, includes perceptions of racial prejudice, racial discrimination, religious discrimination and community cohesion. Data from the survey can be broken down by age and ethnicity. Survey results, which include comparisons between different age groups, are published and are available from the Home Office
	web site.

Operation Sassoon

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to use High Wycombe as a care shelter as part of Operation Sassoon.

Nick Raynsford: I have been asked to reply.
	Operation Sassoon is the code name for the plan for mass evacuation of any part of London in an emergency. We do not disclose the operational details of emergency planning. Sassoon includes planning for the reception and shelter of evacuees. London and home counties authorities have been involved in this work.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to each police authority of the implementation of stop forms as set out in recommendation 69 of the MacPherson report.

Hazel Blears: As part of the Phased Implementation of the Recording of Stops forces supplied data on the set up and running of the sites used. Details were provided on fixed and variable costs, including all staff time spent on implementation and other expenditure.
	These figures cannot be multiplied up to get forces or national estimates. The costs have different strands include training, form design, database work. Some of these are not exclusive to stops and have transferable uses.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of sick days taken by police officers was in each year since 1997, broken down by police force area.

Hazel Blears: The average number of sick days taken by police officers for each year since 1997 reported by force is shown in the list, which has been placed in the Library.

Police

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish policing performance radars for basic command units.

Hazel Blears: The Police Performance Monitoring Report for 2003–04 was published on 22 September. It showed police force performance across six 'domains'.
	
		
			 Domain Police force performance 
		
		
			 A Citizen focus 
			 1 Reducing crime 
			 2 Investigating crime 
			 3 Promoting public safety 
			 4 Providing assistance 
			 B Resource usage 
		
	
	Data is available at force level in all six domains, but because of the nature of the data sources, reliable comparable data is available only at BCU level in domain 1 (as crime rates) and part of domain 2 (as detection rates). For example, the data in domains A and 3 is drawn from the British Crime Survey: the sample size does not allow the extraction of meaningful results at lower than force level. The 'performance radar' is not a suitable display mechanism for performance in just two domains.
	For BCUs, crime and detection rates for six key offences have been published for 2003–04 on the Home Office web-site.
	The development of the Policing Performance Assessment Framework this year will add some further measures which are available at BCU level. We are reviewing how performance at force and BCU level will be reported in the Monitoring Report due for publication next year.

Radio Frequency Identification Projects

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the pilot demonstrator projects for radio frequency identification announced in May 2000.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office launched the Chipping of Goods Initiative in March 2000 in response to the need to reduce the cost of property crime and the burden on police resources in tracing the ownership of stolen goods.
	Through eight demonstrator projects with industry the initiative set out to show how the incidence of property crime could be reduced in the supply chain using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based information management systems.
	An assessment of the crime reduction and business efficiency benefits of each of the eight projects was published in a series of case studies in May 2004. Benefits identified by the companies which took part included a marked reduction in laptop theft, improved traceability (thus helping to identify stolen and counterfeit goods, and the ability to clarify whether goods had been lost or misdirected. The case studies are available of the website about the initiative www.chippingofgoods.org.
	The Initiative has accelerated awareness of tagging solutions and reinforced the association between achieving improved security and delivering increased business performance.
	A final report on the initiative will be published by the end of the year. I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.

Royal Parks Constabulary

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and (b) the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the role of the Royal Parks Constabulary in maintaining security in the vicinity of the royal palaces;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the role of the Royal Parks Constabulary;
	(3)  what reports he has requested from the Chief Officer of the Royal Parks Constabulary on events in St. James' Park on 13 September.

David Blunkett: The Royal Parks Constabulary ceased to exist in April of this year, becoming part of the Metropolitan Police Service. I have spoken to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Sir John Stevens, and the Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Operations in relation to this incident, as well as receiving an interim written report from the Commissioner. In addition, I hold regular meetings with the Metropolitan Police Service to discuss matters relating to security at Royal Palaces.

Stop and Search

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to change police training in stop and search encounter procedures.

Hazel Blears: The current stop and search training package has been developed by Centrex, the Central Police Training and Development Authority, for use by forces. The package covers the legislation behind stop and search powers and the most effective methods of conducting stop and searches. The scope of the training package is being widened to take into account the recording of stops as well as stop and searches.
	Guidance on the recording of stops was issued to forces in March 2004 following phased implementation in seven forces. This guidance was followed up by interim stop and search guidance in July this year. Two conferences for forces have also covered the implementation of Recommendation 61 of the MacPherson Report, the use of stop and search powers and new training initiatives.
	The Stop and Search Action Team is due to publish a manual on the effective use of stop and search in April 2005. This manual will include examples of effective practice in stop and search training.

Traffic Police

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department how many traffic police there have been in each police authority area in each year since 2000.

Hazel Blears: Published information on police strength by police force area is available for rank, gender, ethnicity but not function. Figures on police strength for March 2004 were published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 13/04, copies of which are available in the Library or on the internet site: http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html.

Violence Against Retail Staff

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government (a) have taken and (b) will take to tackle violence against retail staff.

Hazel Blears: The Government believe that everyone has the right to go about their work without the threat of violence and abuse, and this is why we fully support the USDAW "Freedom from Fear" campaign to promote the safety of shop workers.
	Advice on managing work-related violence, including specific guidance for the retail sector, has been published by the Health and Safety Executive and can be accessed via their website www.hse.gov.uk.
	The Home Office has also provided assistance through the provision of a training programme, earlier this year, which covered all aspects of security, including protecting staff and dealing with potentially violent situations. Over 440 people attended these courses which were run across the country.
	Other Government policies to tackle alcohol misuse related crime or antisocial behaviour such as the 'Together' campaign, will all contribute towards decreasing violent crime in the workplace.
	We are also supporting innovative projects to give confidence and training to shopworkers such as the ShopWatch scheme in London, where shopworkers volunteer to be trained as Special Constables, receiving paid leave from their employers to patrol the shopping area during trading hours.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Constitution

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what competencies he expects will remain under the control of national Governments under Article 1–5a of the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union, column 6289, relating to union law.

Denis MacShane: Article 1–5a (Article 1–6 in the final version of the Treaty, CIG 87/1/04) states that EU law has primacy over the national law of the member states. This is simply a restatement of the current position and, as noted in the declaration to be made on this provision, reflects existing ECJ case law. Articles 1–9 to 1–16 (Articles 11–17, CIG 87/1/04) set out, for the first time, a clear catalogue of the EU's competences. Article 1–9 paragraph 2 (Article 11 paragraph 2, CIG 87/1/04) makes clear that competences not conferred by the member states upon the EU in the Constitution remain with the member states.

ASEM Summit

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Minister and officials represented the Government at the ASEM Summit meeting in Hanoi from 7 to 9 October; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 20 October 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and two officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office represented the UK at the Summit and its preparatory meetings.
	I also refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 18 October 2004, Official Report, columns 465–66W.

British Overseas Territories (Elections)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total population of (a) the Turks and Caicos Islands, (b) Anguilla, (c) Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, (d) Bermuda, (e) the British Indian Ocean Territory, (f) the British Virgin Islands, (g) the Cayman Islands, (h) the Falkland Islands, (i) Guernsey, (j) Gibraltar, (k) the Isle of Man, (l) Jersey, (m) Montserrat, (n) Pitcairn Island, (o) the British Antarctic Territory and (p) South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands is; what the total number entitled to vote is in each case; what the date of the most recent parliamentary or assembly election was in each case; what the turnout at that election was in each case; and what the results were in each case.

Bill Rammell: The details are as follows:
	Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus
	The total Cypriot population of the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) at the time of the last full census in 2001 was 6,967. In addition, approximately 7,800 military and UK-based civilian personnel and their dependents work or live on the Sovereign Base Areas.
	Approximately 4,762 Cypriots in the SBAs are eligible to vote in the Republic of Cyprus. UK citizens are eligible to vote in UK elections.
	Neither parliamentary nor assembly elections are held in the SBAs. Residents vote either in the Republic of Cyprus, or the UK.
	Anguilla
	Total population: 12,200 (2003 estimate)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 7,558 (in next election, due 2005)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 3 March 2000 (House of Assembly Elections)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 4,825 (64.2 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The Anguilla National Alliance (ANA) gained three seats with 35.2 per cent. of the vote. The Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP) gained one seat, with 11.1 per cent. of the vote. The total percentage of votes cast for the United Front coalition was therefore 46.3 per cent. The Anguilla United Movement (AUM) gained two seats with 12.5 per cent. of the vote. One independent member was elected with 7.62 per cent. of the vote.
	Bermuda
	Total population: 62,059 (2000 Census)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 39,324 (at last election)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 24 July 2003 (General Election)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 29,472 (74.9 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: PLP (Progressive Labour Party) 15,222 votes (51.6 per cent.); UBP (United Bermuda Party) 14,142 votes (48 per cent.); NLP (National Liberal Party) 41 votes (0.1 per cent.); IND (Independent) 51 votes (0.2 per cent.); GLP (Gombey Liberation Party) 16 votes (0.1 per cent.).
	British Antarctic Territory
	The territory does not have a settled population.
	British Indian Ocean Territory
	The territory does not have a settled population.
	British Virgin Islands
	Total population: 21,333 (2003 estimate)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 10,186 (at last election)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 16 June 2003
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 7,351 (72.17 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The National Democratic Party (NDP) won eight seats, beating the Virgin Islands Party (VIP), which won five seats.
	Cayman Islands
	Total population: 42,000 (2004 estimate)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 11,636 (at last election)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 8 November 2000 (an election was due to be held on 17 November 2004, but has been postponed to May 2005 due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Ivan in the Cayman Islands)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 76.37 per cent.
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The following candidates were elected: Rolston M. Anglin, McKeeva Bush, Eugene Ebanks, and Stirling Dwayne Ebanks from West Bay constituency; Frank Swarres McField, Alden McNee McLaughlin Jr., Linford Ainsworth Pierson and D. Kurt Tibbetts from George Town constituency; Roy Bodden, Anthony Eden and Gilbert Allan McLean from Bodden Town constituency; Edna Moyle from North Side constituency; V. Arden McLean from East End constituency; and Julianne Yvonne Connolly O'Connor and Lyndon Leathan Martin from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman constituency.
	Falkland Islands
	Total population: 2,913 (2001 Census)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 1,495 (in last full election)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 22 November 2001 (full election for Legislative Councillors); 6 November 2003 (By-Election in Camp Constituency)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: It is difficult to provide accurate turnout figures in the Falkland Islands, due to the system of voting. Any voter can vote for between one and five candidates in Stanley Constituency and one and three people in Camp Constituency. There are eight Legislative Councillors: five from the Stanley constituency, and three from the Camp constituency. Under this system, in the 22 November 2001 election, 3,878 votes were cast. In a by-election each voter casts only one vote. The turnout for the 6 November 2003 by-election was 227, from 281 eligible voters (a turnout of 80.78 per cent.).
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: In the 22 November 2001 election, Norma Edwards, Roger Anthony Edwards and Phillip Charles Miller were elected to the Legislative Council from the Camp constituency. John Birmingham, Janet Lynda Cheek, John Richard Cockwell, Stephen Charles Luxton and Michael Victor Summers were elected to the Legislative Council from the Stanley constituency. In the 6 November 2003 by-election, Ian Hansen was elected to the Legislative Council from the Camp constituency.
	Gibraltar
	Total population: 28,231
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 18,452
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 27 November 2003
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 14,590 (79.07 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The Gibraltar Social Democrats gained eight seats with 51 per cent. of the vote. The Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party/Liberal Party Alliance gained seven seats with 40 per cent. of the vote. The Gibraltar Labour Party gained 8 per cent. of the vote and the Reform Party 1 per cent.: neither party gained any seats in the House.
	Montserrat
	Total population: 4,491 (2001 Census)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 2,953 (at last election)
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 2 April 2001
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 2,293 (78 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The People's Liberation Movement (PLM) won seven seats with 43.4 per cent. of the votes cast. The National People's Party (NPP) won two seats with 9.8 per cent. of the votes cast.
	Pitcairn
	Total population: 47
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 32
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 8 December 2003 (annual election of four councillors and the Chairman of the Internal Committee)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: Accurate records are not available, but turnout is usually high
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: There are no political parties on Pitcairn. Four Councillors and the Chairman of the Internal Committee were elected.
	South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
	The territory does not have a settled population.
	Turks and Caicos Islands
	Total population: 21,600 (2001 Census)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 6,499
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 24 April 2003 (General Election)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 86.3 per cent.
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The ruling Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) won seven seats, and the opposition Progressive National Party (PNP) won six seats. Following the Supreme Court's upholding of a petition alleging malpractice in the conduct of the election in two constituencies won by the PDM, two by-elections were held in August 2003. In both cases the seats changed hands and the PNP therefore became the majority party with eight seats, and therefore replaced the PDM as the governing party.
	My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor is the Privy Counsellor with special responsibility for the Crown Dependencies. The following information has been provided by the Department for Constitutional Affairs:
	Guernsey
	Total population: 59,807
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 30,112
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 21 April 2004
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 64 per cent.
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: At the 21 April 2004 election, the following were elected: Laurence Charles Morgan; Brian John Gabriel; John Alfred Bannerman Gollop; Carla Steve McNulty Bauer; Barry Leslie Brehaut; Michael Edmund Wills Burbridge; Leon Roy Gallienne; Jack Honeybill; Robert Thoderick Matthews; Jean Aimée Pritchard; Christopher Donald Brock; Wendy Jean Morgan; Diane Eileen Lewis; Lyndon Sean Trott; Daniel Peter Le Cheminant; Samantha Jane Maindonald; Scott John Ogier; Ivan Frederick Rihoy; Ronald John Le Moignan; Geoffrey Hubert Mahu; Peter John Rufus Roffey; David Brian Jones; Mary May Lowe; Graham Guille; Brian Richard de Jersey; Duncan William Staples; Stuart John Falla MBE; Mark Hirzel Dorey; Eric William Walters; Jonathan Paul Le Tocq; Bernard Marcel Flouquet; Alexander Hunter Adam; Thomas Mansell Le Pelley; David Allan Grut; Martin Andrew Ozanne; David de Garis De Lisle; Claire Helen Le Pelley; Peter Raphael Sirett; Alvord Henry Brouard; Michael William Torode; Charles Nigel Kennedy Parkinson; William Mather Bell; Francis John Quin; Janine Michelle Le Sauvage; Michael George O'Hara.
	Isle of Man
	Total population: 76,315 (2001 Census)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 47,529
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 22 November 2001 (House of Keys General Election)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 27,379 (57.6 per cent.)
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: At the 22 November 2001 General Election to the House of Keys, seats were won by: E. Quine; P. Braidwood; Mrs. B. Cannell; D. Cretney; A. Duggan; A. Downie; J. Shimmin; S. Rodan; D. Anderson; D. Cannan; M. Quayle; R. Corkill; A. Earnshaw; P. Karran; Mrs. H. Hannan; A. Bell; L. Singer; Mrs. P. Crowe; Q. Gill; J. Rimmington.
	Jersey
	Total population: 87,500 (end-2003 estimate)
	Total number of population entitled to vote: 48,611
	Date of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 16 October 2002 (General Election)
	Turnout in most recent parliamentary or assembly election: 45.08 per cent.
	Results of most recent parliamentary or assembly election: The following were elected (figures represent number of votes): Ozouf 14,442; Kinnard 12,320; Routier 11,687; Vibert 10,564; Norman 10,192; Walker 9,377.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Bill Rammell: Our records show that there are currently a total of 65 mobile phones in use by Ministers, Special Advisers and civil servants in ministerial offices. Within the rest of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, there are a further 1,220 mobile phones in use. The records are cumulative and reflect live numbers only. Details of old phones disconnected or replaced are not kept and it is not therefore possible to provide a breakdown on a historical basis.
	The cost for mobile phone services in the UK up until 2003 was based on line rental with new or replacement handsets provided to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office free of charge. Whilst suppliers are now charging for handsets, there are no records held centrally detailing those that were lost or stolen, and the resultant cost to replace them.
	Details for mobile phones used by staff overseas cannot be provided as responsibility for such contracts is devolved to our overseas missions and relevant figures could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

New Deal (Departmental Recruitment)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has recruited a total of thirteen personnel under the New Deal Scheme in the past five years. These were recruited as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 3 
			 2000 4 
			 2001 3 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 (22)1 
			 (22) To date.  
		
	
	Seven members of staff initially recruited under the New Deal Scheme have successfully applied for open competitions and have been recruited as permanent staff. There are currently four applicants who have been offered New Deal Placements subject to satisfactory pre-appointment checks.

Departmental Staff/Staff Pensions

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available.

Douglas Alexander: None.

Departmental Staff/Staff Pensions

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements were in place prior to 1974 to inform spouses of Foreign, Colonial and Commonwealth Office staff serving abroad but forbidden from working abroad of their obligation to make sufficient national insurance contributions to secure eligibility for a 100 per cent. basic state pension.

Douglas Alexander: It is not possible to determine the precise arrangements in place 30 or more years ago. In general, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office tries to keep its staff informed of relevant changes which might affect an individual's financial circumstances. But it has always been the case that it is an officer's own responsibility to make appropriate financial provision for the future for themselves and their families.

General Affairs and External Relations Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs and External Relations Council held on 11 October; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The information is as follows:
	Outcome of 11 October 2004 General Affairs and External Relations Council
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, John Grant (UK's Permanent Representative to the EU) and I represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Luxembourg on 11 October.
	Conclusions were agreed on terrorism, Libya, Western Balkans (ICTY, Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo elections), Sudan/Darfur, Indonesia, Great Lakes (Burundi and MONUC), Middle East Peace Process, Ukraine, Human Rights Dialogues (EU-China and EU-Iran), EU-India Strategic Partnership, WTO/DDA, Bosnia/EUFOR (Draft OPLAN—ALTHEA), and EUPOL Proxima.
	General Affairs Session
	Preparations for the European Council (5 November 2004)
	The Council examined a draft agenda prepared by the presidency. The main items are:
	Economic issues—The European Council will hear a presentation by Mr. Wim Kok, chairman of a high-level group advising the Commission on the preparation of the mid-term review of the economic reform strategy laid down at Lisbon in March 2000. It will also take note of work on a methodology for assessing the burden on businesses of legislation and regulation.
	Justice and home affairs—The European Council is expected to adopt a new multi-annual agenda for the EU's Area of freedom, security and justice.
	EU communication strategy—The European Council will examine how to better communicate to the public on the EU's work and its relevance to people's daily lives.
	EU enlargement—The President of the Commission will present a number of policy documents regarding Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey's applications to join the EU.
	Terrorism
	The Council welcomed progress made in several areas in the implementation of the EU Action Plan for combating terrorism, while noting that significant steps still needed to be taken by the EU and its member states to adhere to the commitments made under the plan. Conclusions were agreed.
	Enlargement
	The Council took note of a presentation by Commissioner Verheugen on the Commission's Recommendation on the start of accession negotiations with Turkey, the 2004 Regular Report and Issues Paper on Turkey, the Strategy Paper on progress in the enlargement process, including Croatia, as well as the 2004 Regular Reports on Bulgaria and Romania.
	EU Financial Framework for 2007–13
	The presidency presented its progress report on the negotiations so far. the report gave a broad summary of the views raised by member states on competitiveness, cohesion, agriculture, rural development and fisheries. The Council also heard a presentation by the Commission on its proposals for financing in the field of external action. The presidency is aiming to secure Council agreement to principles and guidelines for the 2007–13 financial perspective at the European Council in December as a step on the way to reaching political agreement on future financing next year.
	External Relations Session
	Libya
	As part of a policy of engagement with Libya, the Council decided to lift the arms embargo and repealed a set of economic sanctions adopted by the EU in application of UNSC resolutions. The Council invited Libya to respond positively to this policy, notably with a view to the resolution of the remaining EU concerns, such as the case of the Bulgarian and Palestinian medical workers and other outstanding issues. Conclusions were agreed, which reflected these concerns.
	Ukraine
	The Council remained supportive of Ukraine's pursuit of democratisation and economic reform. The EU has called upon the Ukrainian authorities on several occasions to safeguard all necessary conditions for holding free, fair and transparent presidential elections this autumn. The Council reiterated this appeal and reminded the Ukrainian leadership that the conduct of these elections will be proof of Ukraine's commitment to the democratic values of the Council of Europe and the OSCE and bears great significance for EU-Ukraine relations. Conclusions were agreed.
	Iran
	Ministers discussed Iran over lunch with a particular focus on the nuclear issue. Views were exchanged on the approach for the weeks ahead, leading up to the IAEA Board of Governors meeting of 25 November. Conclusions were agreed on the EU-Iran Human Rights Dialogue.
	China
	Ministers took stock of the state of discussions on the embargo on the sale of arms to China over lunch, following the mandate given to the Council by the European Council in December 2003. Conclusions were agreed on the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue.
	Sudan/Darfur
	The Council urged the Government of Sudan to provide information on actions taken to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed militias and to bring to justice perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against civilians. It called upon all parties to strictly abide by the ceasefire agreement signed on 8 April 2004. The Council will take appropriate measures, including sanctions, against the Government of Sudan and all other parties, in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1556 and 1564, if no tangible progress is achieved in this respect. The Council reiterated its readiness to support the African Union in its efforts to stabilise the security situation in Darfur. It noted with urgency the need for additional humanitarian assistance and coordination. Conclusions were agreed.
	International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
	The Council noted with deep concern the presentation by ICTY Chief Prosecutor, Mrs. Carla del Ponte, who emphasised the need for improvement in the level of co-operation with the tribunal. The Council reiterated its call on all states, in particular Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also Croatia to render all necessary assistance to the ICTY. Continued failure to co-operate fully and in a timely manner with the ICTY would seriously jeopardise further movement towards the EU. Conclusions were agreed.
	Western Balkans
	Serbia and Montenegro
	High Representative Solana and Commissioner Patten reported on their visit to Belgrade. The Council expressed its support for the twin-track approach, which would imply a single Stabilisation and Association Agreement with distinct negotiations with the Republics on trade, economic and possibly on other relevant sectoral policies. It urged the country's political leaders to take advantage of this approach with the aim of contributing to a positive outcome of the feasibility report early next year. It recalled that respect for international obligations, including full co-operation with the ICTY, remained crucial for further progress in the process towards EU integration. Conclusions were agreed.
	Kosovo
	The Council discussed the forthcoming Kosovo Assembly elections on 23 October and looks forward to the elections being conducted in a peaceful and democratic environment and in a free and fair manner, with the widest participation of all communities. The Council welcomed the call by President Tadic encouraging Kosovo Serbs to participate in the forthcoming elections. Conclusions were agreed.
	European Neighbourhood Policy
	The Council took note of a progress report by the Commission on the state of play of the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans with the seven countries concerned (Jordan, Palestinian Authority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Moldova, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia).
	Middle East Peace Process
	The Council condemned the terrorist attacks in Taba and Ras Satan against innocent Egyptian and Israeli citizens and praised the two Governments for their close co-operation in the rescue and investigation activities.
	The Council expressed its grave concern at the unprecedented cycle of retaliatory violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories and reiterated its full and unconditional condemnation of all forms of terrorism. It called upon the Palestinian Authority to take firm action against the planners and perpetrators of such terrorist acts (rocket attacks into Israel). The Council recognised that Israel has the right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, it stressed that the exercise of this right should take place within the boundaries of international law. The Council called on Israel to put an immediate end to its operation in Gaza and to fully respect the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Council reminded Israel and the Palestinians to consider the longer-term consequences of their actions. It emphasised that the only way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East is through the resumption of security co-operation and direct negotiations between the parties, as called for in the Roadmap. Conclusions were agreed.
	Great Lakes
	The Council remained concerned about the overall situation in the region and welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1565, which further strengthens the mandate of MONUC (UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and calls for a significant increase and improvement of MONUC's capabilities. The Council stressed that the European Union and its member states are currently investigating possible contributions to MONUC. Conclusions were agreed.
	Kenneth Bigley
	The EU expressed its profound shock and total condemnation of the barbaric murder of Kenneth Bigley in Iraq. The EU condemned all kidnappings and acts of terrorism in Iraq and demanded the immediate release of all hostages there.
	The presidency requested that the condolences of all Council members be passed to Mr. Bigley's family.

Hizbollah

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring is undertaken of the activities of Hizbollah; when its activities were last assessed as terrorist action; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: We closely monitor Hizbollah activities. We proscribed Hizbollah's External Security Organisation (ESO) in 2001 as concerned in terrorism. We continue to press Hizbollah to end its support for violence and to pursue its aims through exclusively legitimate political means.

Iran

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government made to the Government of Iran about the sentence of death awarded to 16 year old Atefeh Rajabi and carried out in public in Neka during August (a) prior to her execution and (b) after her execution; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We did not receive reports of Ms Rajabi's execution until after it was said to have taken place.
	We have raised with the Iranian authorities on many occasions our serious concerns about the use of the death penalty in Iran, including public executions and the execution of juvenile offenders. My noble Friend, the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, has conveyed the Government's strong concern at Ms Rajabi's reported execution.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his oral statement on Iraq of 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 151–55, what the information was upon which he and the Prime Minister based their judgements and which he now accepts was wrong.

Jack Straw: I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 12 October Official Report, column 14WS. My hon. Friend will find further background in The Report on the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction chaired by Lord Butler of Brockwell, published on 14 July 2004 (HC 898).

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether post-war validation of the source of the UK Government's claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa after 1998 has taken place.

Denis MacShane: The conclusions regarding the Government's claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Africa after 1998 are contained in chapter 6.4 of the report of the review headed by Lord Butler of Brockwell.

Mercenaries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to introduce legislation to (a) make it illegal for UK residents to take part in mercenary activities and (b) make UK companies that recruit mercenaries responsible under UK law for any breaches of human rights or actions that those they employ have committed.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 21 October 2004
	The Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870 makes it an offence to engage in military or naval service of "a foreign state at war with any foreign state at peace with Her Majesty." However no prosecution has ever been brought under this legislation and a committee of Privy Counsellors, chaired by Lord Diplock concluded in 1976 that the legislation is probably unworkable.
	The growth in the size and importance of the UK private security industry operating overseas strengthens the case for regulation of this sector. Developing such regulation is a complex undertaking, as set out in the Government's Green Paper "Private Military Companies", published on 12 February 2002. There are a number of difficult questions of definition and enforcement in deciding how to approach such regulation. The cost of regulation is also potentially high, for both Government and industry.
	When considering regulation the Government recognises that there is a legitimate role for the private sector in providing security in post-conflict situations, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan. National armed forces do not always have the capacity to provide security to the international community's reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in these difficult security situations.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has instituted a further detailed review of options for regulation over the next few months. The Government will keep Parliament fully informed of its thinking in this area. Consideration of the responsibility of individuals and companies will be at the centre of this review.

Nuclear Disarmament

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the New Agenda Coalition countries about working towards a nuclear-free world.

Denis MacShane: The Government regularly include discussions of nuclear non-proliferation in its bilateral contacts with New Agenda Coalition countries. In that context, we make clear that we are fully committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and emphasise the importance of full compliance with the Treaty by all States Party. We also express our desire to see the immediate resumption of substantive work at the Conference on Disarmament, starting with the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

Syria

Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress on the proposed EU-Syrian Association agreement.

Denis MacShane: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said at his press conference with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Dr. Farouk Shara'a, on 18 October, we are pleased that good progress has been made on the EU-Syria Association Agreement. The agreement was initialled on 19 October.

Turkey

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart regarding the extent of freedom of religion for religious minorities in Turkey.

Denis MacShane: There have been several notable successes for freedom of religion this year in Turkey and the UK believes that the situation of religious minorities in Turkey is improving. The UK Government supports the European Commission's recommendation of 6 October, which called on the Turkish Government to adopt legislation to resolve the difficulties faced by non-Muslim religious communities. Our Embassy in Ankara is in regular contact with the Turkish Government on this issue. My noble Friend the Lord Chancellor and I both raised the need for a new Law on Foundations with the Turkish Justice Minister when he visited the UK in July, and I understand that this is being prepared. We have also urged the Turkish Government to take further steps to facilitate the establishment and running of churches and reopen the Greek Orthodox Seminary on Heybeliada.

Uzbekistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the United States State Department's decision to waive the decertification of Uzbekistan for financial aid on grounds of national interest; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The waiver, taken on the grounds of the national security interests of the US, was agreed by President Bush in December 2003. It allows Uzbekistan to continue to participate in the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative threat reduction programme, designed to assist the states of the former Soviet Union to secure or destroy WMD and establish safeguards against their proliferation.
	This was distinct from the US Secretary Of State's decision not to certify Uzbekistan, which was taken, as the US State Department made clear on 13 July 2004, because of Uzbekistan's lack of progress in meeting its commitments under the Strategic Partnership Framework agreed in 2002 between Uzbekistan and the US.
	We have been forthright in our criticism of the Uzbek Government's human rights record. We regularly discuss human rights issues in Uzbekistan with the US. Both the US and UK Governments have a policy of constructive but critical engagement to try to improve the human rights situation in that country.

Visas

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the refusal rate for (a) student visas and (b) tourist visas in 2002–03.

Chris Mullin: During the financial year 2002–03 a total of 181,905 student entry clearance applications were received worldwide, of which 52,520, or 28.9 per cent., were refused.
	During the financial year 2002–03 a total of 1,428,984 visitor entry clearance applications were received worldwide of which 176,764, or 12.4 per cent., were refused.

Visas

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the number of refusals of student visa applications between 2001–02 and 2002–03.

Chris Mullin: During the financial year 2001–02 a total of 38,873 student entry clearance applications were refused. The equivalent figure for financial year 2002–03 was 52,520. These figures are published in the booklet "Entry Clearance Statistics" for the Financial Year 2002–2003, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

PRIME MINISTER

Invasions (Parliamentary Votes)

Tony Wright: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to provide an opportunity for a parliamentary vote when there is future intention to invade another country.

Tony Blair: The Government have given repeated assurances that Parliament will be given the opportunity to debate significant decisions about the military engagement of British forces in armed conflict overseas. It might not always be possible to hold a debate in advance of a military engagement, if the effect of that would be to give advance notice of our military activities and endanger the lives of our troops.

Iraq

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister when he was first made aware that the Joint Intelligence Committee had described evidence of Iraq's weaponry as sporadic, patchy and limited.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the remarks that I made on this issue in the debate on Iraq on 20 July 2004, Official Report, columns 196–202.

Iraq

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Prime Minister whether the war cabinet for the Iraq war is still extant.

Tony Blair: The ad hoc Ministerial group on Iraq that I chaired met over the period of the conflict. Ministers have met regularly since April 2003 to discuss progress in Iraq, including in meetings of the ad hoc Ministerial group on Iraq Rehabilitation.

Iraq

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Prime Minister how often the full Cabinet has considered the committal of extra troops to Iraq.

Tony Blair: As my official spokesman made clear, on 21 October the Cabinet had discussed the request by the American military for a redeployment of British forces already within Iraq. The Cabinet discuss a wide range of issues as they arise. However, it is established practice, as reflected in the Ministerial Code and under Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of the Cabinet and its committees.

Kofi Annan

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with the Secretary General of the UN during his visit to London on 19 October 2004 over alleged corruption at the UN during the Oil for food programme in Iraq.

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what (a) matters were discussed and (b) agreements were made during his meeting with United Nations Secretary—General Kofi Annan on 19 October 2004; and if he will make a statement on United Kingdom relations with the United Nations.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Members to the press conference I held with the United Nations Secretary General on 19 October 2004, a transcript of which is available on the Number 10 website.

Lord Chancellor

Michael Fallon: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to reduce the salary of the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor to the salary of other Cabinet Ministers from the date on which the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs ceases to act as head of the judiciary.

Tony Blair: The Salary of the Lord Chancellor is set out in section 1 of the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 as amended by the Ministerial and other Salaries Order 1996. Legislation determines the salary and the Constitutional Reform Bill contains provisions relating to it.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to the letter to him dated 7 September 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. M Gibbons.

Chris Pond: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Alan Johnson) replied to my right hon. Friend on 15 October.

Sure Start Maternity Grants

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mothers in (a) Yorkshire and Humber and (b) City of York received Sure Start maternity grants in each year since 1997.

Chris Pond: The information is not available in the format requested; the available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Award type Number of awards 
		
		
			 Awards in the area covered by Directorate of Yorkshire 
			 1997–98 MP 15,111 
			 1998–99 MP 17,831 
			 1999–2000 MP 17,073 
			 2000–01 MP 1,912 
			 2000–01 SSMG 17,047 
			 2001–02 SSMG 20,678 
			 2002–03 to November SSMG 16,124 
			
			 Awards in the area covered by the Government Office Region of Yorkshire and Humber 
			 2002–03 from December SSMG 8,078 
			 2003–04 SSMG 26,111 
			
			 Awards in North Yorkshire Social Fund District 
			 1997–98 MP 1,081 
			 1998–99 MP 1,377 
			 1999–2000 MP 1,325 
			 2000–01 MP 159 
			 2000–01 SSMG 1,356 
			 2001–02 SSMG 1,794 
			 2002–03 SSMG 2,144 
			 2003–04 to October SSMG 1,300 
			
			 Awards in the area covered by North Yorkshire Jobcentre Plus District 
			 2003–04 from November SSMG 860 
		
	
	Notes
	1. Maternity payments (MP) were abolished in 2000–01 and replaced by Sure Start Maternity Grants (SSMG). The change was phased in from 27 March 2000.
	2. The Government Office Region (GOR) of Yorkshire and Number was created in April 2002. However, data on the area covered by this GOR is available only from December 2002. Prior to that, data is given for the Area Directorate of Yorkshire, which corresponds to a large part of the Yorkshire and Humber GOR. Therefore the tables refer to different areas, and the data is not comparable.
	3. City of York parliamentary constituency used to be part of North Yorkshire Social Fund District and is now part of North Yorkshire Jobcentre Plus District. The latter was formed in November 2003 from North Yorkshire Social Fund District and part of Bradford and Keighley Social Fund District. Therefore the tables refer to different areas, and the data is not comparable.
	4. The very small number of SSMG awards for 1999–2000 has been excluded for data protection reasons.
	5. All Sure Start Maternity Grant awards have been included not just those awarded to mothers.
	Source:
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Benefit Assessments (Appeals)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals were made in relation to benefit assessments in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Mr. Norman Egan to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 25 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked Christina Townsend, Chief Executive, to respond to your question regarding how many appeals were made in relation to benefit assessment in the last 12 months. Christina is away from the office at the moment and I have been asked to reply.
	The table shows the number of appeals received by the Appeals Service in the last 12 months.
	
		
			 Benefit Benefit caseload see footnotes by Benefit April 2003 to March 2004 
		
		
			 All Personal Capability Assessment (not Incapacity Benefit) — 910 
			 Attendance Allowance 1,340,700 9,705 
			 Child Benefit/One Parent Benefit 12,547,500 1,180 
			 Child Support Assessments 983,700 2,850 
			 Child Support Departures Appeal — 1,080 
			 Child Support Departures Referral — 150 
			 Child Support Reforms — 305 
			 Child Tax Credit — 1,090 
			 Coeg — 15 
			 Compensation Recovery Unit — 1,425 
			 Council Tax Benefit — — 
			 Credits—Statutory Maternity Pay 4,627,800 1,155 
			 Credits—Statutory Sick Pay — — 
			 Credits Approved Training — — 
			 Credits Jury Service — — 
			 Disability Living Allowance 2,498,000 84,120 
			 Disability Working Allowance — — 
			 Disabled Persons Tax Credit — 55 
			 Family Credit — 5 
			 Home Responsibility Protection — 15 
			 Housing/Council Tax Benefit 4,970,000 3,960 
			 Housing Benefit 3,796,400 3,630 
			 Incapacity Benefit (not personal Capability Assessment) 2,394,200 7,395 
			 Incapacity Benefit (Personal Capability Assessment) — 55 460 
			 Income Support 3,982,200 19,015 
			 Industrial Death Benefit — 5 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit 342,950 15,515 
			 Invalid care Allowance/carers 408,115 1,305 
			 Jobseekers Allowance 832,300 15,310 
			 Lookalikes — 5 
			 Maternity Allowance 14,860 115 
			 Not known — 670 
			 Others (Extinct /Rare Benefits) — 1,340 
			 Pension Credits 2,066,100 385 
			 Retirement Pension 11,392,100 1,570 
			 Severe Disablement Allowance 319,100 415 
			 Social Fund—Funeral Payments — 2,470 
			 Social Fund—Maternity Payments — 1 040 
			 Vaccine Damage Appeals Tribunals — 35 
			 Widows Benefit 167 500 790 
			 Working Families Tax Credit — 1,035 
			 Working Tax Credit — 95 
		
	
	Appeals Data Notes:
	1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data becomes available.
	2. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through the Appeals Service.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	4. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	5. Denotes data equal to nil or negligible.
	Source:
	IAD information Centre, 100 per cent. sample
	Benefit Data:
	All benefit caseload information is based on 5 per cent. sample at May 2003 and the source is that of IAD Information Centre, unless expressed otherwise as follows.
	Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance Data Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported caseload. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Carers Allowance Data Notes:
	1. Data is rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. Sample
	Child Benefit/ One Parent Benefit:
	1. Data as at February 2003
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre Child Support Agency Data Notes:
	Child Support Agency Data Notes:
	1. Data as at Feb 2003. All new cases after the 3rd of March 2003 were placed on a new computer system. Therefore, this is the last quarter when the Child Support Computer System (CSCS) contained all CSA cases.
	2. Figures show the total number of live and assessed cases on CSCS. This includes Full Maintenance Assessment cases and Interim Maintenance Assessment cases. Pre-maintenance assessment cases are excluded.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. Sample
	Council Tax and Housing Benefit Separately Data Notes:
	1. Data is in Benefit Units
	2. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
	3. Housing Benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. Sample
	Council Tax/Housing Benefit Combined Data Notes:
	1. The figure is based on 1 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. Due to the estimation procedure to produce the figures for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit, this figure is rounded to the nearest ten thousand.
	4. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
	5. Housing Benefit figures exclude any Extended Payment cases.
	Incapacity Benefit Data Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Income Support Data Notes:
	1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to sampling variation.
	2. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Notes:
	1. Data as at June 2003.
	Jobseekers Allowance Benefit Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. JSA figure excludes 'Nil' benefit cases, i.e. those signing for National Insurance Credits only.
	Pension Credits Benefit Data Notes:
	1. Data as at November 2003.
	2. Pension Credit replaced MIG on 6 October 2003
	Retirement Pension:
	1. Data as at March 2004
	Widows benefit Data Notes:
	1. Data as at March 2004

Benefit Payments/Overpayment

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department was of employing (a) solicitors, (b) debt collectors and (c) other outside agencies to recover benefits overpaid or paid as a result of fraudulent claims from claimants in each of the last five years.

Chris Pond: Solicitors are not employed specifically to recover overpayments. Debt collectors and outside agencies have not been used to recover benefit overpayments in the last five years to April 2004. However, a pilot initiative commenced in April 2004 to use private sector companies to provide debt collection services to DWP.
	As of 25 September 2004, commission based payments of £399,850 (plus VAT) have been made in respect of £1,457,380 benefit overpayments recovered by our agents.

Benefit Payments/Overpayment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Warrington, North receive pension credit; what the average award made is; and how much has been spent on funding pension credits in Warrington.

Malcolm Wicks: At 31 August there were 4,130 households, comprising 5,070 individuals, receiving pension credit in Warrington, North, with an average award of £38.38. Between 1 October 2003 and 31 August 2004 an estimated £14.1 million was paid in pension credit in the two constituencies of Warrington, North and Warrington, South combined.
	Notes:
	1. Numbers of pension credit recipients are rounded to the nearest five. 2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60. 3. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003. The estimated amount paid includes a small amount of expenditure on the minimum income guarantee, which pension credit replaced. 4. The estimated amount paid has been rounded to the nearest £100,000.

Benefit Payments/Overpayment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington have been assisted by (a) the New Deal for Young People, (b) the New Deal for the over 25s, (c) the New Deal for Lone Parents, (d) the New Deal for Disabled People and (e) the New Deal for the over 50s.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Table 1
		
			  New Deal for Young People New Deal 25 plus 
			 Constituency Individual starts Individuals into work Individual starts Individuals into work 
		
		
			 Warrington North 1,360 800 670 280 
			 Warrington South 830 510 450 160 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Data is up to the end of June 2004 for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents.
	2. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Disabled People.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate
	
		Table 2
		
			  New Deal for Lone Parents New Deal 50 plus(22) 
			 Constituency Individual starts Individuals into work Individuals into work 
		
		
			 Warrington North 470 260 140 
			 Warrington South 270 150 140 
		
	
	(22) Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal 50 plus after March 2003. Information relates to Employment Credit Starts up to the end of March 2003.
	Notes:
	1. Data is up to the end of June 2004 for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents.
	2. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Disabled People.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

Benefit Processing Centres (Wales)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he last met the First Minister of the National Assembly of Wales to discuss the possible effects on social exclusion of the closure of benefit processing offices in Wales.

Alan Johnson: My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Oxford, East, last met the First Minister for Wales on 6 May 2004 where they discussed a range of issues, although the specific issue of benefit processing centres was not discussed. Senior officials of Jobcentre Plus and The Welsh Assembly have been in close contact about this issue and further meetings are planned.

Child Poverty

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been taken out of poverty since 1997 in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) the City of York.

Chris Pond: Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual "Opportunity for All" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.
	There is not a measure that sets out the numbers of children in poverty for the years since 1997. However, data on the number of children living in low income households are available. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.
	In 1997, 2.7 million children in England were living in households below 60 per cent. median income, before housing costs. By 2002–03 this figure had fallen by 500,000. After housing costs this figure had fallen from 3.7 million to 3.1 million, a fall of 600,000.
	In 2002–03, 10 per cent. of all children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income in England, lived in Yorkshire and the Humber. Data are not available below regional level, although specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994–95 to 2002–03". The document, "Measuring Child Poverty", published in December 2003, outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 2004–05.

Child Support

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when existing child support cases will be transferred to the new arrangements.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 18 December 2003, Official Report, column 1092W.

Departmental Redundancies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the timescale is for job reductions in the Department;
	(2)  how many jobs are to be lost in the Department (a) in total and (b) as a percentage of the workforce in each region of the UK.;
	(3)  how many job losses in his Department he expects there to be in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 in each town in North Wales;
	(4)  what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on ensuring that past and future civil servant job losses do not fall disproportionately on the same communities;
	(5)  whether the proposed job reductions in the Department will be achieved through (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory redundancies;
	(6)  what the proposed redundancy package is for employees who lose their jobs due to the Department's restructuring.

Maria Eagle: The Department plans to reduce staffing levels by 30,000 by 2008 as part of a four year efficiency and modernisation programme. To support this programme detailed business and staffing plans continue to be developed across all parts of the Department. The latest phase of these plans was announced by the Secretary of State on 16 September, it is however too early to say precisely the total number of reductions in each region of the United Kingdom or in each town in North Wales.
	The reductions in staff numbers are being managed through recruitment controls, natural wastage, redeployment and voluntary releases. Where jobs are no longer required the Department will aim to secure suitable alternative employment for staff both within the Department and in other Government departments. The Department is already working closely with Cabinet Office and other Government departments at national and regional level to better co-ordinate staffing plans, vacancies and redeployment opportunities.
	Compulsory redundancy will only be used as a last resort and will only take place after all other options have been considered. If any staff are made compulsorily redundant they will be offered the standard terms included in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Disability Living Allowance

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have received disability living allowance in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Disabled Access Rights

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what European Union legislation applies to access rights for the disabled.

Maria Eagle: The Council Directive 2000/78/EC established a general framework for equal treatment in relation to access to employment and occupation. The Directive covers discrimination on the basis of disability, age, sexual orientation or religion and belief.

Gypsies and Travellers

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made with his Department's project to review housing benefit rules for gypsy and traveller sites; and when it will report.

Chris Pond: The Department has commissioned Spark Research Ltd. to undertake research to inform our review of housing benefit rules for gypsy and traveller sites. The project is due to report to officials in summer 2005.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average frequency is with which recipients of incapacity benefit, excluding those who are exempt from the personal capability assessment, are subject to medical re-testing, broken down by diagnosis group.

Maria Eagle: Information about the frequency of referrals in individual cases is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Initial referrals for personal capability assessments are made from between three and 10 weeks from the date of claim, according to the recorded diagnosis. Follow-up referrals are at intervals that are generally between three months and three years, based on the advice from the Medical Services' doctor.
	Just over 2.7 million people were claiming incapacity benefits in May 2004. Approximately 1 million personal capability assessment referrals were made in 2003–04.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful appeals were made against the rejection of applications for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Norman Egan to Mr. Goodman, dated 25 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked Christina Townsend, Chief Executive, to respond to your question regarding how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful appeals were made against the rejection of applications for Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance broken down by (i) age and (ii) region. Christina is away from the office at the moment and I have been asked to reply.
	The information in table 1 gives details of claims to Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement allowance. Table 2 shows the number of successful and unsuccessful appeals made against the rejection of Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance by age whilst table 3 shows the numbers broken down by region.
	
		Table 1 -- Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance Claims at May 2003
		
			 Benefit Claimants Beneficiaries 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit 2,394,200 1,514,400 
			 Severe disablement allowance 333,400 332,800 
		
	
	IB/SDA Data Notes:
	1. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide
	2. Government Office Region figures have been derived using the claimant's postcode. Earlier Government Office Region figures were derived using the local office serial number. Comparisons with figures produced in publications
	prior to February 2000 may not be appropriate.
	3. Includes a small number of Credits only cases over pension age—incorrectly held on the INCAP computer system.
	4. Claimants—Customers who Claim IB
	5. Beneficiaries—Successful Claims and are in Payment of Benefit
	
		Table 2Receipts and outcome of appeals by age groups for the financial year April 2003 to March 2004
		
			 Benefit Age group Receipts at appeals service Cleared at hearing Cleared in favour Decision upheld Cleared others 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit (not PCA) All 7,395 4,575 1,675- 2,850 50 
			  Under 25 — 525 210- 305 5 
			  25–49 — 2,380 875- 1,475 30 
			  50–59 — 1,010 370- 630 5 
			  60–64 — 335 100- 230 5 
			  65+ — 325 110- 210 (23)— 
			 Incapacity benefit (PCA) All 55,460 41,855 19,880- 21,745 225 
			  Under 25 — 4,845 2,215- 2,605 25 
			  25–49 — 21,385 9,800- 11,475 110 
			  50–59 — 10,355 5,235- 5,055 65 
			  60–64 — 2,535 1,275- 1,245 20 
			  65+ — 2,735 1,360- 1,370 10 
			 Severe disablement allowance All 415 370 180- 185 5 
			  Under 25 — 30 15- 15 (23)— 
			  25–49 — 195 90- 100 (23)— 
			  50–59 — 90 55- 35 (23)— 
			  60–64 — 30 15- 15 (23)— 
			  65+ — 25 10- 15 (23)— 
		
	
	
		Table 3Receipts and outcome of appeals by region groups for the financial year April 2003 to March 2004
		
			 Benefit Region Receipts at appeals service Cleared at hearing Cleared in favour Decision upheld Cleared others 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit (not PCA) Birmingham 770 490 115- 370 5 
			  Cardiff 880 470 145- 320 5 
			  Glasgow 1,075 660 290- 360 10 
			  Leeds 1,370 970 360- 605 5 
			  Liverpool 475 320 105- 210 5 
			  Newcastle 465 250 60- 185 (23)— 
			  Nottingham 1,410 865 365- 485 20 
			  Salford 320 190 50- 135 5 
			  Sutton 635 365 185- 180 (23)— 
			
			 Incapacity benefit (PCA) Birmingham 5,895 4,550 1,815- 2,730 10 
			  Cardiff 8,180 5,175 2,400- 2,755 15 
			  Glasgow 10,850 8,490 4,465- 3,975 45 
			  Leeds 5,045 3,400 1,500- 1,880 20 
			  Liverpool 6,120 5,555 2,735- 2,805 15 
			  Newcastle 4,970 3,450 1,615- 1,825 10 
			  Nottingham 8,760 6,595 2,910- 3,595 90 
			  Salford 2,670 2,610 1,140- 1,450 20 
			  Sutton 2,970 2,030 1,295- 730 (23)— 
			
			 Severe disablement allowance Birmingham 55 50 40- 10 (23)— 
			  Cardiff 55 45 30- 20 (23)— 
			  Glasgow 40 30 15- 15 (23)— 
			  Leeds 45 45 15- 30 (23)— 
			  Liverpool 25 25 10- 15 (23)— 
			  Newcastle 15 15 5- 10 (23)— 
			  Nottingham 135 120 50- 65 5 
			  Salford 15 10 (23)— 10 (23)— 
			  Sutton 30 25 15- 15 (23)— 
		
	
	(23) Data equal to nil or negligible.
	Appeals Data Notes:
	1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available.
	2. Figures for the latest months may rise significantly as information feeds through to the Appeals Service.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	4. Figures may not sum due to founding.
	Source:
	100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are employed by the appeals system in relation to incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance.

Maria Eagle: This is a matter for Christina Townsend, Chief Executive of the Appeals Service. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Norman Egan to Mr. Goodman, dated 25 October 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked Christina Townsend, Chief Executive, to respond to your question regarding how many people are employed by the appeals system in relation to incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance. Christina is away from the office at the moment and I have been asked to reply.
	The information you have requested is not available, as members of staff are not assigned to individual benefits but instead by venue. I can let you know, however, that the Appeals Service currently has 864 staff in post.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimed other benefits simultaneously in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) the benefit claimed, (b) age and (c) region.

Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Income Support (Carer Premium)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the carer premium in income support was in (a) 1997 and (b) October.

Chris Pond: The information requested is shown in the table:
	
		Rates of carer premium in income support in 1997 and October 2004
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 April 1996 to April 1997 13.00 
			 From April 1997 13.35 
			 From April 2004(24) 25.55 
		
	
	(24) Including October 2004.
	Source:
	Annual benefit Uprating Schedules.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions has no residential properties used by Ministers or officials on its estate.

Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Maria Eagle: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Central records of mobile phones were not held until 1 November 2003. At that date, nine were used by Ministers and special advisers, and 11,950 were used by the Department's officials.
	As of 11 October 2004, eight mobile phones were used by Ministers and special advisers and 13,605 used by officials.
	Information on the number and associated costs of mobile phones lost or stolen is not collected.

Parenting Skills

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has recently (a) published and (b) commissioned on the effects of parenting on life chances for children.

Chris Pond: We have published a number of reports which include evidence on the effect of parenting on life chances for children. Since 2003 the Department has published:
	Families and Children 2001: Living standards and the children, DWP Research Report 190 (July 2003).
	Families and Children in Britain: Findings from the 2002 Families and Children Study. DWP Research Report 206 (March 2004).
	The British Lone Parent cohort and their children 1991 to 2001, DWP Research Report 209 (April 2004).
	These research reports are all available in the Library.
	In addition the Department has two recently commissioned research projects. Findings will be published when they become available. The two projects are:
	The effects of low income, material deprivation and parental employment on outcomes for children both in adulthood and as children.
	The Families and Children Study—Wave 5 report.

Pension Credit

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Leeds West are receiving the savings element of the pension credit.

Malcolm Wicks: At 31 August 2004, 3,235 households in Leeds West, comprising 3,835 individuals, were receiving the savings element of pension credit.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average UK banks took to process pension payments in the last period for which figures are available.

Chris Pond: Payments are credited to a customer's bank account on the day the customer is due to receive payment. The overall timescale to process payments to banks through the BACS system is three days and is the same for all benefit and pension payments, made by Direct Payment.
	Banks receive payment information on the second day of the BACS three day cycle and are committed to having customer's accounts credited by 9.30 am on day three of the BACS cycle. For the Post Office card account, Citibank provides credits to customers accounts by 9.00 am on day three of the BACS cycle i.e. in time for the normal opening of most post offices.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with Citibank about customer service arrangements for pensioners receiving pension payments through the post office.

Chris Pond: There have been no discussions between the Department of Work and Pensions and Citibank about customer service arrangements for pensioners receiving pension payments through the post office.
	DWP has a contract with Post Office Ltd. for the provision of card account services at post offices. Post Office Ltd., in turn, has contracts with their suppliers, for the provision of card account services. DWP has no direct contractual relationship with Citibank, regarding the post office card account.
	However, following the disruption to the post office card account service on 23 August, I spoke to the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd. on 3 September and met senior post office directors on 6 September. I made clear that the Government did not expect pensioners to have to pay back money they may have withdrawn in good faith. I am pleased that post office's suppliers subsequently agreed not to pursue money which they had paid in error and which customers had already withdrawn.

Pension/Benefit Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost is of making a weekly pension payment through (a) a Giro cheque payment and (b) a pension payment book.

Chris Pond: Pensioners are not currently paid weekly by cheque. Girocheques are no longer issued, but before the move to direct payment cost £1.47 each. The current cost of a weekly payment by order book is about £1.10 and will increase as the number of order books falls away.
	Payments directly into a bank or building society account currently cost only about 1p per transaction, showing how much more efficient Direct Payment is. And recently published research has shown that Direct Payment is proving very popular with customers and is easy to use.
	All figures quoted relate to the average cost across all customers, not just pensioners.

Pensioner Income

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly income of (a) a pensioner couple and (b) a single pensioner was in (i) real and (ii) cash terms in (A) 1997 and (B) October in (1) the UK, (2) Yorkshire and Humber and (3) the City of York.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is not available in the format requested. Data for pensioners' incomes in the City for York are not available; for Great Britain the most recent data that are available are for 2002–03.
	The average weekly net income for pensioner couples and single pensioners in Great Britain is set out in the table.
	
		
			   £ 
			  1996–97 2002–03 
		
		
			 Pensioner couples  
			 Real terms 287 327 
			 Cash terms 249 327 
			
			 Single pensioners   
			 Real terms 145 177 
			 Cash terms 125 177 
		
	
	Note:
	Real figures are in 2002–03 prices.
	Source:
	Pensioners' Incomes Series 2002–03 based on the Family Resources Survey data for Great Britain.
	Regional data in the Pensioners' Income publication are compiled from three years of Family Resources Survey data (2000–01, 2001–02, and 2002–03) to ensure statistical robustness. The following table shows the net weekly income, in 2002–03 prices, for pensioner couples and single pensioners in Yorkshire and the Humber and in Great Britain, on this basis.
	
		
			   £ 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber Great Britain 
		
		
			 Pensioner couples 289 329 
			 Single pensioners 167 173 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are in 2002–03 prices.
	Source:
	Pensioners' Incomes Series 2002–03 based on the Family Resources Survey data from 2000–01, 2001–02, and 2002–03.

Refurbishment Costs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of any refurbishments to the fabric of buildings owned by his Department has been since May 1997.

Maria Eagle: DWP was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), including the Employment Service (ES).
	The costs of refurbishments to the fabric of buildings are in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Period Spend for former DSS Estate Spend for former ES Estate 
		
		
			 April 1997-March 1998 18.8 15.4 
			 April 1998-March 1999 3.3 17.4 
			 April 1999-March 2000 25.0 23.4 
			 April 2000-March 2001 32.4 16.0 
			 April 2001-March 2002 44.5 17.6 
			 April 2002-March 2003 35.2 26.7 
			 April 2003-March 2004 32.7 14.6 
			 Total 191.9 131.1 
			
			 Overall total  323.0

Social Fund Loans

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision the Department has made in its accounts for non-repayment of social fund loans in the next financial year.

Chris Pond: The provision the Department has made in the 2002–03 departmental resource account for non-repayment of Social Fund loans falling within one year is £1,971,327.14. The total of the Social Fund Loans debt stock as at 31 March 2003 is £626,918,608.70 which means the amount of the provision for non-repayment of Social Fund Loans in the next financial year is 0.31 per cent. of the total Social Fund Loan debt stock.
	The Social Fund Loans provision is made up of provisions against Social Fund crisis loans, Social Fund budget loans and Social Fund funeral payments.
	The figures used are from the 2002–03 departmental resource account as the 2003–04 departmental resource account has yet to be finalised.

Staff Redeployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department is having with the Welsh Assembly Government to redeploy departmental employees to the new regional assembly offices planned for North Wales.

Maria Eagle: A meeting was held on 11 October 2004 between the Jobcentre Plus H R Business Partner, a representative of the DWP Regional Change Implementation Programme Executive and the Head of Human Resources for the Welsh Assembly Government. The purpose of the meeting was to outline the strategic changes planned for both organisations, the effect that these changes will have on staffing levels and respective timelines for change.
	All parties agreed that there are likely to be opportunities for redeployment of DWP staff into Welsh Assembly Government posts at various locations throughout Wales. However, it is currently too early to be able to give an indication of how many posts might be available and from when.
	Regular networking arrangements have been put in place to ensure that redeployment of DWP staff is maximised and Welsh Assembly Government posts are filled by skilled and experienced workers.

HEALTH

"Shaping Health Services"

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of (a) the Shaping Health Services document published by the Mid and South Bucks Health Community before the consultation into its healthcare proposals for Buckinghamshire and (b) the Shaping Health Services document on Women and Children's Services entitled Creating Better Healthcare for Buckinghamshire, published recently.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide financial assistance for continued research at the Southern Eye Research Centre, Southampton General Hospital, into age-related macular degeneration.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 15 October 2004
	No. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.

Asylum Seekers

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific measures are (a) in place and (b) planned to (i) identify, (ii) assess and (iii) meet the health needs of people seeking asylum in the UK at each stage of the asylum-seeking process.

Melanie Johnson: A person who has formally applied for asylum is entitled to national health service treatment for as long as their asylum application is under consideration.
	A national network of induction centres for newly arrived asylum seekers is being rolled out by the Home Office. All asylum seekers who go through an induction centre are offered a health assessment to identify and assess health needs and to facilitate prompt access to health services where needed within the induction process. A basic health history is recorded in a patient-held medical record which the asylum seeker takes with them when they leave.
	Where asylum seekers live in the community, primary care trusts identify and assess the needs of asylum seekers. Individual areas have developed their own mechanisms for ensuring that asylum seekers are linked to primary health care services. One such example is the asylum seeker and refugee centre for health (ARCH) in Birmingham.
	The Home Office proposes to accommodate asylum seekers in trial accommodation centres and will provide primary care services on site. The Home Office also provides for the on-site health care of those asylum seekers who go through the fast-track process at the Oakington reception centre or are held in immigration removal centres.

Care Homes

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to public funds of a patient in a care home in (a) the private sector, (b) the local authority and (c) the voluntary sector has been in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) Tyne and Wear and (iv) England in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The requested information is not available centrally prior to the 2000–01 financial year. Data for Tyne and Wear as a whole and the Jarrow constituency are also not available centrally. The table shows the average gross weekly expenditure reported by South Tyneside council and the England average weekly expenditure of supporting older people and adults aged 18–64 in residential and nursing care between 2000–01 and 2002–03, the latest date for which data are available.
	
		Average gross weekly expenditure per person on supporting older people and adults aged 18 to 64 in residential and nursing care homes
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  South Tyneside England South Tyneside England South Tyneside England 
		
		
			 Nursing homes   
			 Older people 291 368 436 368 375 394 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities 1,806 716 1,038 623 1,056 700 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with mental health needs (25)— 411 (25)— 483 2,224 501 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with physical disabilities 284 475 481 504 423 521 
			 Local authority owned residential care homes   
			 Older people 448 426 425 446 446 494 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities 783 698 791 797 (25)— 886 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with mental health needs 716 651 655 606 (25)— 656 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with physical disabilities (25)— 763 (25)— 772 (25)— 718 
			 Private/voluntary sector owned residential homes(26)
			 Older people 259 279 326 286 292 313 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities 910 630 826 605 916 639 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with mental health needs 209 388 284 378 291 422 
			 Adults aged 18 to 64 with physical disabilities 791 502 795 512 567 542 
		
	
	(25) Not available.
	(26) It is not possible to separate privately owned homes from those owned by voluntary sector organisations.
	Source:
	Form PSS EX1

Dermatology (Treatment Costs)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the impact on (a) patients and (b) trusts of setting up a single episode tariff for dermatology.

John Hutton: A single episode tariff applies to dermatology in the current financial year. It was derived following evidence of a uniform distribution of the ratio of first to follow-up appointments throughout the country. Use of the tariff is currently limited to a small number of payment by results pilots and we will be working with them to assess the impact. From 1 April 2005, the tariff will apply to all national health service providers and, to ensure uniformity of approach and data flows, the single episode is being replaced with a dual tariff for first attendance and follow up attendance.

Healthy Living Blueprint

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the healthy living blueprint will promote healthier lifestyles for children.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 12 October 2004
	The healthy living blueprint provides support for head teachers, governors and teachers to help children and young people lead healthy lifestyles. A supporting healthy living web portal offers information, advice, guidance and sources of help. The blueprint brings together the range of government and non-government initiatives and support which contribute to healthy living into one resource for schools.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority fees for research licences.

Melanie Johnson: Research that involves the use of human embryos requires a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The HFEA charges a fee of £200 for a research licence application. It costs the HFEA an average of £6,000 to consider and process a research licence application and, if awarded, regulate it. Earlier this year, the HFEA undertook a public consultation exercise on proposals to increase the fee to make it more representative of the cost to the Authority of considering and processing research licence applications and regulating the licence once awarded. Following the consultation, the HFEA proposes to increase the fee to £500 for small research projects, rising to £750 for more substantial projects. Although a significant increase, it would not cover the full cost to the HFEA of handling the licence applications, as to do so might jeopardise research in the United Kingdom, including important stem cell research. The proposed fee increase would therefore continue to require subsidisation from the funding that the HFEA receives from the Department.
	In accordance with section 16 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, the proposed fee increase was submitted to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and Her Majesty's Treasury for approval. Approval for the increase has been
	given.

Information Technology

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of EMIS.

John Hutton: holding answer 21 October 2004
	Egton Medical Information Systems (EMIS) are suppliers of significant numbers of medical information systems to primary care practitioners. Currently around 55 per cent. of general practitioner practices use the EMIS suite of software products on annually renewed contracts.
	The position in relation to the national programme for information technology (NPfIT) in England is that EMIS are working co-operatively with NPfIT to make their systems compliant for the programme's electronic booking service. EMIS also co-operated with the recent upgrade to GP IT systems to support the quality and outcomes framework introduced under the new general medical services contract.
	In terms of commercial arrangements, EMIS have told NPfIT that they have not been able to reach a satisfactory contractual arrangement with any of the programme's local service providers who are responsible for delivering NPfIT applications at a local level. They have indicated that for the time being they intend to continue managing their business on the current basis. The NPfIT would prefer that EMIS were participating more directly in its on-going programme. However, there are certain contractual and operational conditions that come with direct participation, which EMIS have, to date, had difficulty in accepting.
	It is a matter for EMIS to decide whether the company will contract with one or more local service provider. If they are unable or unwilling to do this, it is open to them to continue to supply their systems as long as GPs choose to buy them.

NHS Professionals Special Health Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what calculations were made by his Department to reach the figure of £26.6 million allocated to the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority for 2004–05.

John Hutton: The budget of £26.6 million represents transition funding for 2004–05, based on the requirements of NHS Professionals' business plan. This is available in the Library.

NHS Professionals Special Health Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the budget of the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority is allocated to the task of acting in a regulatory role for independent recruitment agencies in the health sector.

John Hutton: NHS Professionals does not have any regulatory role for independent recruitment agencies in the health sector.

NHS Professionals Special Health Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down the budget allocated to the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority for 2004–05 by main budget heading.

John Hutton: The budget provided by the Department represents a contribution to the wider running costs and activities of NHS Professionals and is therefore not directly attributable to specific budget headings.

NHS Professionals Special Health Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the decrease in the monies allocated to the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority between 2002–03 and 2004–05.

John Hutton: NHS Professionals special health authority (SHA) did not receive funding in 2002–03 as it was established as a SHA in shadow form from 1 January 2004 and formally established from 1 April 2004. It received funding for the final quarter of the financial year 2003–04 and is receiving funding for the full year 2004–05.

NHS Professionals Special Health Authority

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential for conflict of interest between the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority's role as a regulator of independent recruitment agencies in the health sector and its own role in recruiting NHS staff.

John Hutton: There is no potential for conflict of interest as NHS Professionals does not have a role as a regulator of independent recruitment agencies in the health sector.

Nursing Bursaries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on bursaries available for those wanting to train as a nurse, with particular reference to entitlement to student childcare.

John Hutton: Student nurses attending pre-registration courses are eligible for national health service bursaries. For students on degree courses, the bursaries are means-tested in line with the published NHS bursary scheme. On diploma courses, students get a basic rate of bursary that is not means-tested; any extra allowances on top of the basic rate are means tested. We introduced, from 1 September 2004, a new allowance that pays up to 85 per cent. of actual child care costs; subject to a maximum of £170 a week for those with two or more children who are getting registered or approved child care.

Psychiatry (Human Rights)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the United Kingdom reserving the right not to comply with the recommendation of the Council of Europe on Human Rights and Psychiatry; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynn Jones) on 20 October, Official Report, column. 796W.

Safety of Medicines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require pharmaceutical companies to publish all trials of medicines.

Rosie Winterton: In a clinical research agreement concluded in 2002 through the pharmaceutical industry competitiveness task force, the pharmaceutical industry agreed in principle to make trials publicly available after medicines have been licensed. Some companies have yet to implement this voluntary approach. The Government wants to see progress in this area and is keeping the issue under review.

Southampton General Hospital (Accident and Emergency)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people accessed accident and emergency services at Southampton General Hospital in each month from January to September in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of accident and emergency attendances is collected on a quarterly basis. The table shows the number of attendances for the Southampton University Hospitals National Health Service Trust from quarter 4, 2002–03 to the most recent available—quarter 1, 2004–05.
	
		Attendances at accident and emergency departments, minor injury units and walk in centres, Southampton University hospitals NHS Trust, (RHM)
		
			  Quarter Total attendances 
		
		
			 2002–03 4 21,338 
			 2003–04 1 22,987 
			 2003–04 2 23,890 
			 2003–04 3 23,444 
			 2003–04 4 21,980 
			 2004–05 1 24,208 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Waiting Times/Lists

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many inpatients in Worthing had to wait more than (a) three, (b) six, (c) nine and (d) 12 months for treatment in each year since 1997; and what the percentage change was in each case;
	(2)  what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times for residents of Worthing in the past seven years.

Rosie Winterton: The numbers of people waiting more than three, six, nine and 12 months for treatment in each year since 1997 and the comparisons for the last seven years are shown in the table.
	
		Counts of finished admission episodes (waiting list and booked cases only) with a valid time waitedPrimary care trust (PCT) of residence—5L8 Adur, Arun and Worthing PCTNational health service hospitals, England 1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			 Waiting time grouping 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Up to 3 months 15,048 10,380 6,289 8,221 9,943 12,090 
			 3 months to 6 months 3,017 2,175 2,376 2,663 2,880 3,838 
			 6 months to 9 months 1,359 1,285 1,355 1,413 1,300 2,045 
			 9 months to 1 year 709 943 993 1,255 968 1,263 
			 1 year to 1 year and 6 months 1,556 2,444 1,571 1,437 1,516 1,258 
			 1 year and 6 months to 2 years 284 357 172 187 159 64 
			 Over 2 years 45 45 42 61 63 43 
			 Total 22,018 17,629 12,798 15,237 16,829 20,601 
			 Mean time waited (days) 98 144 156 143 126 117 
			 Median time waited (days) 35 60 92 78 67 69 
		
	
	
		Comparison between 1997–98 and 2002–03
		
			  1997–98 2002–03 Percentage change 
		
		
			 Up to 3 months 15,048 12,090 -19.7 
			 More than 3 months 6,970 8,511 22.1 
			 More than 6 months 3,953 4,673 18.2 
			 More than 9 months 2,594 2,628 1.3 
			 More than 1 year 1,885 1,365 -27.6 
			 Total 22,018 20,601 -6.4 
		
	
	Notes:
	Time waited statistics from hospital episode Statistics (HES) are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and time waited for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment on a specific date and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the time waited as the difference between the "admission" and "decision to admit" dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Source:
	HES—Department of Health

Walk-in Centres (Buckinghamshire)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to develop NHS walk-in centres in Buckinghamshire.

Rosie Winterton: There are now 56 national health service walk-in centres open and another 26 in development, including one in Milton Keynes. In line with Shifting the Balance of Power, it is for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to lead the development of further NHS Walk-in Centres.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Contact Order Applications

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of contact order applications by separated fathers were refused in the last period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: In 2003, 67,184 contact orders were made and 601 applications were refused, or 0.9 per cent. of the total made. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of this percentage by gender as this information is not held centrally.

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 2003–04 financial year.

Christopher Leslie: The amount spent by my Department in these areas was £13.31 million.

Departmental Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on information technology in his Department in 2003.

Christopher Leslie: The amount spent by my Department on information technology in 2003 was £96.96 million.

Devolved Administrations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's role in managing and maintaining the successful operation of the relationships between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations.

Christopher Leslie: My Department (DCA) is responsible for the overall UK devolution settlement and for relations between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations. This includes responsibility for the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations, the Joint Ministerial Committee and the UK side of the Secretariat for the British-Irish Council.
	In addition, the DCA facilitates the operation of devolution by advising departments on dealing with the devolution-related aspects of their work, resolving difficult issues and promoting awareness of devolution generally.
	Lord Falconer is also chairman of the Devolution Policy Committee of Cabinet.

European Court Rulings

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations he has made to the Council of Ministers at the Council of Europe concerning the implementation of European Court rulings in relation to the bundle of Article 2 cases including McKerr, Shanaghan, Jordan, Kelly et al, McShane and Finucane; if he will place in the Library his 14 June observations concerning Memorandum CM/Inf (2004) 14 published by the Council of Ministers; and what the obstacles are to full implementation of the rulings of the court.

Paul Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	I can confirm that I have today placed a copy of the Government's response to the Committee of Ministers' Deputies Memorandum CM/Inf (2004) 14 (revised) in the Libraries of both Houses.
	We are responding to the court's ruling in the normal way and continue to have regular dialogue with the Council of Europe's Secretariat on the Northern Ireland Article 2 cases—they met in Strasbourg on 20 September 2004. Continuing attention to these cases has been needed because of ongoing judicial developments, consequently final policy decisions remain to be taken. The Government have always taken very seriously their obligation to abide by the final judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in any case to which it is a party. The Government's policy remains that all European Court of Human Rights judgments will be implemented.

Family Court Service

Jim Cousins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) professional staff turnover, (b) sickness absence rate and (c) number of clients not attending was in each family court service area in 2003–04.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service does not collect data on the number of clients who fail to attend appointments with CAFCASS officers in connection with their family court proceedings. Data on professional staff turnover and staff sickness absence are collected by CAFCASS on a regional basis. The latest figures provided by CAFCASS for professional staff turnover and staff sickness absence in each of the nine regions, including Wales, for the period 2003–04 are set out below.
	
		(a) Staff turnover April 2003 to March 2004 
		
			 Region Turnover percentage(27) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 7.09 
			 Eastern 4.17 
			 London Region 10.40 
			 North East 2.33 
			 North West 4.38 
			 South East 13.79 
			 South West 10.00 
			 Wales 8.90 
			 West Midlands 5.80 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3.88 
			 CAFCASS (including HQ Functions) 9.24 
		
	
	(27) Total number of leavers expressed as a percentage of all staff in post.
	
		(b) Staff sickness absence April 2003-March 2004
		
			 Region Absence percentage(28) 
		
		
			 Eastern 1.57 
			 East Midland 3.50 
			 London 3.17 
			 North East 3.71 
			 North West 2.37 
			 South East 3.41 
			 South West 2.85 
			 Wales 2.94 
			 West Midland 3.12 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3.08 
			 CAFCASS (excluding HQ) (29)3.12 
		
	
	(28) Actual sick days (time) lost from available working time (expressed as a percentage).
	(29) Equates to just under eight days lost per employee per annum.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Karen Buck: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs which funding streams have been allocated by the Department using a funding formula which includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; and if he will list the amount of funding allocated in such a way (a) nationally by the Department or (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

David Lammy: My Department does not use the funding formula that includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 in allocating funding (a) nationally or (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Total running costs of Ministers' Private Offices are set out in the table.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Total 
		
		
			 2004–05(30) 1,185 
			 2003–04 2,100 
			 2002–03 2,002 
			 2001–02 1,566 
			 2000–01 1,576 
			 1999–2000 1,242 
			 1998–99 1,022 
		
	
	(30) To September 2004
	The increase in expenditure since 1998 results from the appointment of two additional Ministers, one in 1999 and one in 2000 and the increasing remit of the Department. There has been a consequent increase in the number of staff in Private Office.
	Information on the previous year is not readily available.

CABINET OFFICE

Consultancy Projects

Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the office since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Ruth Kelly: The number of consultancy firms or companies that have been retained by the Cabinet Office since 2001 is 267.
	The projects they have been retained for include improvements in the information technology (IT) and financial IT structures of the Cabinet Office, accommodation upgrade at the Emergency Planning College, restructuring of Management Units, procurement advice, business continuity plans, IT security certification and implementing an electronic documentation handling system, Facilities Management Project, Improving Project and Programme Delivery, benchmarking the transactions and capabilities of e-government and UK economy, IT projects including Disaster Recovery Project for protection and recovery of IT facilities following a disaster and advice relating to introduction of stakeholder pensions.
	Due to the depth of data requested, to provide project and financial costs on an individual company basis would incur disproportionate cost. I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Maples) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 720W.

New Deal (Departmental Recruitment)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years.

Ruth Kelly: The following table shows the number of personnel Departments have recruited under the New Deal scheme in each of the last five financial years.
	
		
			 Departments 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 April to July 2004 Total 
		
		
			 Cabinet Office 4 13 6 5 0 0 28 
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister — — — 5 11 1 17 
			 Ordnance Survey 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Privy Council Office 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Charity Commission 13 13 11 10 5 3 55 
			 Dept for Culture, Media and Sport 1 2 0 3 0 0 6 
			 Ministry of Defence 88 43 16 41 3 0 191 
			 Dept for Education and Skills 77 51 8 0 0 0 136 
			 Office for Standards in Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 DEFRA 33 35 35 5 2 2 112 
			 Intervention Board 1 1 0 — — — 2 
			 Food Standards Agency — — — 5 0 0 5 
			 Export Credits Guarantee Department 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1 5 2 2 0 0 10 
			 Govt Communications Headquarters 0 2 0 1 2 0 5 
			 Department of Health 19 30 18 2 0 0 69 
			 Home Office 72 26 38 14 10 0 160 
			 Dept for International Development 1 6 0 1 0 0 8 
			 Law Officer's Departments 10 11 2 0 0 0 23 
			 Lord Chancellor's Department 21 34 33 14 — — 102 
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs — — — — 7 0 7 
			 National Assembly for Wales 28 3 5 0 2 0 38 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service — — — 0 0 0 0 
			 Northern Ireland Office 11 3 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Parly. and Health Service Ombudsman — — — 0 0 0 0 
			 Scottish Executive 19 33 40 18 32 2 144 
			 Registers of Scotland 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Department of Trade and Industry 21 26 12 9 3 2 73 
			 Department for Transport 5 57 60 48 20 2 192 
			 Health and Safety Executive 6 12 17 7 0 0 42 
			 Office of the Rail Regulator 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Office of Water Services 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Shadow Strategic Rail Authority 0 1 0 — — — 1 
			 HM Treasury 0 2 3 5 1 0 11 
			 Office of Government Commerce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 HM Customs and Excise 34 77 32 8 2 0 153 
			 Government Actuary's Department — — — 0 0 0 0 
			 Inland Revenue 252 145 169 13 6 30 615 
			 National Savings and Investments — — — 0 0 0 0 
			 Office for National Statistics 10 1 0 0 0 0 11 
			 Royal Mint 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Department for Work and Pensions 1,758 1,177 929 293 168 12 4,337 
			 Total 2,486 1,811 1,437 509 275 54 6,572

Departmental Staff

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) her Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) City of York in 1997 and the latest year for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: Information on the number of full-time jobs by department and executive agency for each year, in the City of York, and Yorkshire and the Number since 1997 has been placed in the Library. Numbers quoted are on a full-time equivalent basis as at 1 April each year. Detailed statistics are available from www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics .

Engagements

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list his public engagements carried out in the week from 18 October.

Alan Milburn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 720W.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in her Department have been in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: For information on the running costs of Ministers' private offices, the Cabinet Office parliamentary branch and the ministerial correspondence and support team given proposed by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office on 17 July 2003, Official Report, columns 500–01W. The cost for 2003–04 is £1.015 million.

Parliamentary Questions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she will reply to Questions (a) references (i) 189701, (ii) 189717 and (iii) 189718 tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 15 September, (b) references (A) 189988 and (B) 189991 tabled by the hon. Member for New Forest, East on 16 September and (c) reference 191819 tabled on 12 October by the hon. Member for New Forest, East for Named Day Answer on 18 October.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the responses I gave on 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 720–21W, on 21 October 2004, Official Report, columns 894–95W and today.
	I will answer the remaining outstanding PQ in due course.

Special Advisers

Dr. Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list (a) the numbers, (b) the names and (c) the salaries and ancillary costs of all special advisers employed by her Department in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: Since 2002 the Government have published an annual report on the numbers and costs of Special Advisers.
	For information for the years 2002–04, I refer the hon. Member to answers provided by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 466–70W and 16 July 2003, Official Report, columns 328–29W.
	Since 1997, the Government have regularly published information about the numbers and cost of special advisers and this information is available in the Library.

TREASURY

Employment Statistics

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created within the Greater London area during the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: Statistics of new jobs created in Greater London are not available.

Consultancy Projects

John Maples: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case (a) the name of the consulting company, (b) the value of the contract and (c) the purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if he will make a statement.

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Stephen Timms: Available information for the Chancellor's Departments is given as follows:
	Inland Revenue
	Inland Revenue obtains consultancy services through its own centrally negotiated framework agreements with suppliers and other pan-Government contracts (e.g. the Office of Government Commerce's S-Cat agreement).
	Detailed breakdown of every consultancy firm used under these central frameworks in the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Overall Departmental spend (excluding VAT) on external consultants and advisers in the last two financial years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2003–04 55 
			 2002–03 35 
		
	
	Information relating to spend from 1999–2000 to 2001–02 is not available. The central frameworks cover a range of consultancy and advisory services, including:
	IT and Telephony
	Human Resources
	Management Consultancy
	Market Research
	Social and Economic Research
	Strategic, High Level Management Projects
	Learning Services
	Benchmarking
	Her Majesty's Treasury
	The total spend on consultants for the core Treasury (i.e. excluding DMO and OGC) in the last two years was as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Revenue Capital 
		
		
			 2002–03 3.03 0.78 
			 2003–04 6.16 1.4 
		
	
	It would be possible to list individual contracts, or provide information for years prior to 2002–03, only at disproportionate cost.
	Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
	HM Customs and Excise spent the following amounts on consultants in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  £ Number of suppliers 
		
		
			 1999–2000 52,736,408 170 
			 2000–01 68,373,468 283 
			 2001–02 58,505,131 261 
			 2002–03 28,701,440 209 
			 2003–04 39,224,901 203 
		
	
	A further breakdown by value of individual contract is not available.
	Office for National Statistics
	A detailed breakdown is being placed in the Library of the House.

Customs and Excise (Tax Collection)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) cost of collecting and (b) cost yield ratio was for all taxes collected by HM Customs and Excise in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the cost of collection, and so on the cost/yield ratio, "for each tax/duty" collected by HM Customs and Excise is not available for this period. Yield data for each tax/duty is published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts. That Report also includes details of aggregate resource usage against each of the Department's high-level objectives. The Department's next Annual Report and Accounts, for 2003–04, will be published later this year.

Employment (Tynemouth)

Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the economically active population in Tynemouth constituency (a) in May 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Alan Campbell, dated 25 October 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity. (193329)
	The statistics available for the Tynemouth Parliamentary Constituency relate to the twelve month periods ending February 1998 and February 2003. In these periods the numbers of people economically active aged 16 and over were 42,000 and 43,000 respectively.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

Employment (Worcester)

Michael Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the economically active population in Worcester (a) in May 1997 and (b) now.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Mr. Len Cook to Mr. Michael Foster, dated 25 October 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic activity. (193097)
	The statistics available for the Worcester Parliamentary Constituency relate to the twelve month periods ending February 1998 and February 2003. In these periods the numbers of people economically active aged 16 and over were 49,000 and 53,000 respectively.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

EU Directives (UK Overseas Territories)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the (a) EU Savings Directive and (b) EU Code of Conduct on Business Taxation on the revenue of UK overseas territories.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keeps under review the impact of all international developments on the overseas territories.

Frozen Assets

Gary Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the organisations who have had their assets frozen by the Government where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an organisation is involved in the financing of terrorism; and how much has been frozen in each case.

Stephen Timms: All organisations and individuals whose assets have been frozen in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions, associated EC Regulations and domestic legislation are listed, by HM Treasury instruction, on the Bank of England's Financial Sanctions website. Forty accounts, totalling some £370,000, are currently frozen by UK financial institutions.
	Asset freezing is an essential measure in countering the financing of terrorism by denying terrorists and their financiers access to funds across the world. The UK acts at home and abroad to protect British interests so that our people can go about their business freely and with confidence.

Information Officers

Stephen Dorrell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent government information officers were employed by HM Treasury in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The number of Government Information Officers employed by HM Treasury in each calendar year since 1997 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of Information Officers (FTE) 
		
		
			 1997 5 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 4 
			 2000 6 
			 2001 7 
			 2002 6 
			 2003 7 
			 2004(31) 5 
		
	
	(31) Up until 30 September 2004

Landfill Tax

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide further financial support to the landfill tax credit scheme as part of the forthcoming public spending review.

John Healey: The landfill tax credit scheme is worth £48.3 million in 2004–05. The 2005–06 level will be determined as part of the usual Budget process.

Meat Smuggling

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what actions HM Customs and Excise is taking to stop meat being smuggled into the United Kingdom from overseas.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Customs and Excise role is to tackle illegal imports of meat and other products of animal origin arriving in Great Britain from outside the EU.
	In discharging this role Customs:
	Target their detection staff, including detector dog teams on those routes of entry that make the greatest contribution to the risk of disease flow to the UK;
	React to specific disease notifications from Defra—for example, in relation to the recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza;
	Seize and destroy smuggled products of animal origin wherever detected;
	Share information and intelligence with other enforcement agencies;
	Prosecute offenders in serious and appropriate cases;
	Work with Embassies and High Commissions to explain the rules to travellers coming to Great Britain;
	Produce a range of publicity, including:
	leaflets, posters, and advertisements in travel magazines;
	working with airlines to encourage them to show an information video or make an announcement explaining the rules on inbound flights;
	and together with Defra, producing 7 million ticket wallets and flyers explaining the rules for issue to UK travellers.

Minimum Wage (Warrington)

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Warrington are in receipt of the minimum wage.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Helen Jones dated 25 October 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question about how many people in Warrington are in receipt of the minimum wage. (193301)
	The information requested is not available.
	However, the Office for National Statistics does calculate estimates of the number of jobs paid less than the minimum wage, and below various other earnings thresholds, for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data which might be useful can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vink-5837&Pos-1&ColRank-1&Rank=272

Public Liability Insurance

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the costs of public liability insurance.

Stephen Timms: The Government is aware of widespread concern about increases in the costs to firms of public liability insurance. In 2003, the Office of Fair Trading conducted a study which examined why premia have increased in product, public and employers' liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance. The study noted that premium increases have followed several years of falling costs. It concluded that the market for liability insurances has not failed and suggested a number of areas of improvement. The OFT have said they will keep the liability insurance market under review.

Tax Credits

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber were in receipt of each of the tax credits or predecessor benefits (i) at the latest date for which figures are available and (ii) in each year since 1995; and how much on average each of the tax credits was worth to its recipients in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: Child and working tax credit were introduced in April 2003. Sample-based estimates of the number of recipient families in each area at July 2003 and January 2004 appear in the published geographical analyses. No estimates of average awards will be available until these awards are finalised.
	Working families' and disabled person's tax credits were available from October 1999 to March 2003. Sample-based estimates of the number of recipient families in each region, and their average awards, appear in the published Quarterly Enquiries from October/November 1999 to January/February 2001, with estimates of the number of recipient families in each local authority and constituency also appearing from April/May 2000. From May 2001 to November 2002, counts and average awards appear for each area in the published geographical analyses, which are based on data for all cases.
	All these publications can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. Children's tax credit was available in 2001–02 and 2002–03. A sample-based estimate of 360 thousand families in Yorkshire and the Humber benefited in 2001–02, with an average value of £470. No reliable estimates are available below regional level, and estimates for 2002–03 are not yet available.
	Family credit was the predecessor benefit to working families tax credit. Sample-based estimates of the number of recipient families in each region, and their average awards, are shown in the published Quarterly Enquiries, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Counts of the numbers of recipient families in each local authority at March 1999 and August 1999 are shown within Neighbourhood Statistics at the National Statistics website, www.statistics.gov.uk. under the subject "Economic deprivation". I understand from the Department for Work and Pensions that counts for earlier periods, and average awards, could not be compiled without incurring disproportionate costs.

Tax Credits

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many requests for remission of overpayments of tax credits have been submitted;
	(2)  what the average time taken is from submission of remission of overpayments of tax credits requests to the final decision being made.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits claimants can use a variety of channels to ask the Inland Revenue to reconsider their decision to recover an overpayment, including face to face at Inquiry Centres, by telephone or by letter. The majority of requests are made using a specific form, TC846W, which helps claimants explain the circumstances of their case. By the end of September 2004, about 80,000 families had submitted a form TC846W, or had requested reconsideration face to face, by letter or by telephone, which required a detailed review of the case. Information on the average time taken to deal with these requests is not available.

Universities (Venture Capital)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the impact of the taxation of venture capital companies on university start-ups.

John Healey: The Government has not introduced any new taxation on venture capital companies, which impacts on university start-ups. Since June 2003 just over 20 representations have been received from academics and other sector representatives about the impact on the university spin-out sector of new rules introduced in Finance Act 2003 to reform the taxation of employee shares and level the playing field between cash and share-based remuneration.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ambulances

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of publicly owned ambulances in Northern Ireland are Mercedes Sprinters; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: All public sector Mercedes Sprinter Accident and Emergency ambulances in Northern Ireland are owned by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service which has 119 in its A and E fleet of 140 vehicles.

Belfast Education and Library Board

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are being taken to tackle the overspend in the budget of the Belfast Education and Library Board.

Barry Gardiner: The Belfast Education and Library Board significantly overspent its budget allocation for 200304 and, unless urgent action is taken, is likely to register a further, significant overspend in 200405. This is not a tenable position.
	I have therefore asked the Board to quantify, as a matter of urgency, the precise scale of its overspend and to bring forward a plan setting out the actions that would need to be taken to ensure that expenditure in the current financial year is contained within the budgetary limits voted by Parliament. I have also asked for work to be undertaken to tackle the systems and other weaknesses that contributed to the overspend and to its late discovery, building on the findings from the investigation carried out over the summer by independent consultants. Once I am satisfied that this work has been undertaken and that appropriate budgetary control measures have been established, I will want to discuss with the Board options for recovery of the amounts overspent.

Belfast Education and Library Board

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy that the proposals to deal with the overspend in the budget of the Belfast Education and Library Board will not result in cuts to funding for education in (a) North Belfast and (b) Greater Shankill.

Barry Gardiner: I have asked the Board, as a matter of urgency, to bring forward a plan setting out the actions that would need to be taken to ensure that there is no further overspend at the end of the current financial year.
	Responsibility for identifying and prioritising appropriate action rests in the first instance with the Board itself. I have, however, emphasised the importance I attach to minimising disruption to front-line services and I will consider the BELB proposals, once I receive them, and work with the Board to safeguard the education of all children.

Cardiac Treatment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources he plans to make available to reduce waiting times for cardiology patients.

Angela Smith: A number of initiatives aimed at significantly reducing the waiting times for cardiology patients are already under way. These include:
	suitable patients being offered treatment outside Northern Ireland;
	the introduction of weekend catheterization sessions;
	the use of a mobile catheterization laboratory;
	the introduction of partial booking systems to reduce the numbers not attending;
	funding for two additional consultant cardiology posts;
	additional investment in drug eluting stent treatments; and
	new rapid access chest-pain clinics to open shortly in the Mater and Craigavon Hospitals.
	In addition, the Department is in the process of commissioning a Needs and Effectiveness Review of all cardiology and cardiac surgery services, which will further address the issue of waiting times and how resources might be used to greatest effect.

Cardiac Treatment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to mainstream funding for cardiac rehabilitation after 2006.

Angela Smith: The Review of Cardiology services recommended that all patients who have suffered a heart attack or who have an established heart disease should be offered cardiac rehabilitation. Subsequently, the Department asked Boards to develop proposals and costings for the delivery of these services.
	Boards have commissioned a range of cardiac rehabilitation services, which include Trusts working with the voluntary sector, and will consider proposals for the future funding and delivery of these services once appropriate audit and evaluation has been carried out.

Cardiac Treatment

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety will set out a policy for the provision of cardiac rehabilitation.

Angela Smith: Following a departmental review of Cardiology Services, it was recommended that Boards and Trusts should work together to offer cardiac rehabilitation to patients who have suffered a heart attack or have an established heart disease. The purpose of this rehabilitation is to facilitate physical, psychological and emotional recovery and enable patients to achieve and maintain better health.
	CREST has recently identified the need for guidance in the area of cardiac rehabilitation and is in the process of establishing a working group to take this forward. The Department will consider the findings of this report when it becomes available next year.

Cardiology Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the recommendations of the Review of Cardiology Services in April 2003; and what progress has been made with the implementation of those recommendations.

Angela Smith: The Review of Cardiology Services was carried out in 1999 and was closely followed by a Review of Cardiac Surgery in 2000. Reflecting the views expressed by the boards, the reviews were subsequently linked, consulted upon and the updated recommendations from both reviews were issued to the service as a Joint Action Plan in April 2003. A copy of the Joint Action Plan, containing recommendations, will be placed in the Library.
	A Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology Services Monitoring Group, comprising departmental, board, trust and user representatives was set up last year and meets regularly to closely monitor service progress against the Joint Action Plan.
	To date, a number of initiatives in line with the Joint Action Plan and aimed at significantly reducing the waiting times for cardiology patients are under way. These include:
	suitable patients being offered treatment outside Northern Ireland;
	the introduction of weekend catheterization sessions;
	the use of a mobile catheterization laboratory;
	the introduction of partial booking systems to reduce the numbers not attending;
	funding for two additional consultant cardiology posts;
	additional investment in drug eluting stent treatments; and
	new rapid access chest-pain clinics to open shortly in the Mater and Craigavon Hospitals.
	In addition, the Department is in the process of commissioning a Needs and Effectiveness Review of all cardiology and cardiac surgery services, which will further address the issue of waiting times and how resources might be used to greatest effect.

Clinical Research Collaboration

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding will be provided in the Province for the UK Clinical Research Collaboration for each year of its work.

Angela Smith: To date additional funding of 70,000 per year has been made available to support the School of Pharmacy at Queens University and its work on medicines for children, the initial priority area of the United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration.
	This year's Budget process is still in its early stages and will not be finalised until December. Future funding decisions for 200506 to 200708 must await the outcome of the final Budget.

Communicable Diseases

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many outbreaks of communicable disease there have been in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will list the diseases concerned.

Angela Smith: Numbers of outbreaks of communicable disease reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Northern Ireland) over the five years from 2000 to the present are in the following table. While the majority of outbreaks have been of enteric (gastrointestinal) illness, there have also been outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease, syphilis and mumps. Reporting of such outbreaks by Health Boards and laboratories is voluntary.
	
		Outbreaks of communicable disease, Northern Ireland, 200004
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Total 
		
		
			 Enteric or gastrointestinal illness  
			 C. perfringens 1 2 0 0 0 3 
			 Cryptosporidium 3 1 0 0 0 4 
			 E coli O 157 1 1 0 1 0 3 
			 Rotavirus 2 1 3 0 0 6 
			 Salmonella enteridis PT4 1 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Salmonella idikan 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Salmonella newport 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Salmonella typhimurium DT 104 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Salmonella virchow 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Shigella sonnei 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Small round structured virus (SRSV)/Noro/Norwalk 18 11 46 25 16 116 
			 Other viral causes 7 12 13 15 7 54 
			 Enteric outbreaks of unknown cause 0 1 5 3 16 25 
			 Sub-total 34 30 67 44 43 218 
			
			 Non-enteric illness   
			 Syphilis(32) 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Mumps(33) 1 0 0 1 0 2 
			 Legionnaires disease 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Sub-total 2 0 1 1 0 4 
			 Grand total 36 30 68 45 43 222 
		
	
	(32) Syphilis outbreak began July 2000 to present
	(33) First mumps outbreak began November 19992000. Second mumps outbreak began October 2003 to present.

Continuing Care Arrangements

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals aged (a) 18 to 29, (b) 30 to 39, (c) 40 to 49, (d) 50 to 59, (e) 60 to 69, (f) 70 to 79, (g) 80 to 89 and (h) over 90 years are in receipt of funding under continuing care arrangements in each of the four health board areas in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Information on the number of individuals in receipt of funding under continuing health care arrangements is not available.
	Health service funded continuing health care is available where a person is assessed as having on-going clinical needs that require frequent intervention by a hospital consultant and/or specialist nursing services. This is generally provided in hospital, most usually in specialist units; in exceptional circumstances continuing health care may be provided in a nursing home setting. Health and Social Services Boards are expected to have operational arrangements in place, which take into consideration local priorities and available resources, for this purpose.
	It is considered that clinicians and their counterparts in social care are best placed to make decisions in individual cases in relation to their patients' long-term care needs on the basis of their clinical and professional judgments.

Development Funding

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Central Government funding was allocated to each local authority district in Northern Ireland for (a) urban regeneration and (b) economic development in each of the past five years.

John Spellar: Central Government funding in respect of urban regeneration and economic development is not allocated on the basis of local authority districts. Successful funding applications may arise from projects which work across a number of local authority areas. Information is not normally held at district council level and consequently a special exercise was carried out to determine, where possible, which district council is the recipient. The details are given in the table. It should be noted that in some instances European Funds is a call on the Departmental Expenditure Limits and both the Department for Social Development and Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in these instances have classified spend as Central Government Funding.
	Table A gives information on Central Government funding for Urban Regeneration in last five years paid by the Department for Social Development.
	Table B gives information on Central Government funding by DETI for Economic Development in the last five years.
	
		Table A: Urban regeneration
		
			  Financial year 
			 District council area 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Belfast 11,716,714 12,406,777 8,110,703 6,373,039 5,666,903 
			 Antrim 405,000 
			 Ballymena  
			 Carrickfergus  
			 Larne 192,959 29,925  4,880  
			 Magherafelt 363,750 449,300  325,000  
			 Newtownabbey  224,575 116,000 429,575 26,000 
			 Ballymoney  
			 Coleraine 87,032 77,990 2,273 100,519 58,075 
			 Derry 6,143,773 6,326,127 5,095,701 4,027,204 3,381,437 
			 Limavady  395,426  58,471 250,000 
			 Moyle 446,000 
			 Ards 40,000 7,726
			 Castlereagh 15,179 47,786 55,591 87,244 36,368 
			 Down  2,430 47,500 92,626 2,500 
			 Lisburn 1,046,534 529,632 576,922 485,126 204,075 
			 North Down  
			 Armagh 1,509 11,351
			 Banbridge 113,818 323,856 80,809 307,982  
			 Craigavon 4,455,787 9,500 3,840   
			 Newry and Mourne 112,821 160,209 57,100 79,601  
			 Cookstown 21,000   6,255  
			 Dungannon   212,560   
			 Fermanagh 36,659  232,660   
			 Omagh 230,315 202,481 1,650 3,116,148  
			 Strabane  97,625 229,635 463,279 270,000 
			 Total 25,428,850 21,302,716 14,822,944 15,956,949 9,895,358 
		
	
	Table A does not include funding from the Community Support Programme which is a unique collaborative initiative involving the Voluntary and Community Unit of DSD and the 26 district councils to support local community infrastructure. Table A also does not include regeneration spend of 35,870,000 over the last five financial years by the Laganside Corporation and Belfast City Centre Promotions. Also not included is 8,874,298 of PEACE II and Urban II money spent on urban regeneration initiatives that could not be allocated by area.
	
		Table B: Economic development
		
			  Financial year 
			 District council area 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Belfast 24,609,000 16,870,000 30,342,000 56,822,000 0 
			 Antrim 1,155,000 3,739,000 18,872,000 3,106,000 50,000 
			 Ballymena 2,250,000 1,563,000 1,929,000 4,722,000 39,000 
			 Carrickfergus 4,685,000 1,359,000 2,192,000 388,000 0 
			 Larne 550,000 261,000 1,385,000 2,457,000 16,000 
			 Magherafelt 2,067,000 1,356,000 1,725,000 1,987,000 0 
			 Newtownabbey 19,783,000 3,614,000 6,906,000 3,219,000 66,000 
			 Ballymoney 287,000 642,000 518,000 568,000 14,000 
			 Coleraine 733,000 718,000 2,491,000 686,000 0 
			 Derry 11,715,000 5,544,000 14,630,000 7,327,000 28,000 
			 Limavady 7,694,000 1,374,000 1,998,000 4,997,000 29,000 
			 Moyle 914,000 127,000 307,000 291,000 0 
			 Ards 2,742,000 724,000 1,362,000 2,939,000 0 
			 Castlereagh 641,000 4,984,000 1,000,000 1,368,000 21,000 
			 Down 3,249,000 1,771,000 1,430,000 1,132,000 77,000 
			 Lisburn 1,527,000 3,012,000 1,612,000 2,342,000 185,000 
			 North Down 813,000 938,000 1,146,000 3,395,000 383,000 
			 Armagh 1,353,000 1,144,000 5,275,000 1,416,000 66,000 
			 Banbridge 631,000 993,000 1,966,000 482,000 14,000 
			 Craigavon 1,936,000 4,887,000 16,146,000 6,770,000 145,000 
			 Newry and Mourne 3,621,000 5,857,000 2,187,000 1,736,000 128,000 
			 Cookstown 903,000 1,280,000 1,455,000 2,215,000 32,000 
			 Dungannon 2,185,000 4,854,000 2,460,000 2,881,000 19,000 
			 Fermanagh 1,680,000 902,000 3,890,000 3,307,000 88,000 
			 Omagh 1,150,000 4,189,000 1,027,000 1,628,000 33,000 
			 Strabane 866,000 273,000 3,847,000 4,585,000 0 
			 Total 99,739,000 72,975,000 128,098,000 122,766,000 1,433,000 
		
	
	Table B does not include an additional 21,211,000 that could not be allocated by area that was offered in 200203 by the Company Development Programme. It also does not include 3,994,000 from a range of schemes that was offered in 200304 that could not be allocated by area.

Eating Disorders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the implementation of the recommendations of the review and consultation exercise on eating disorders published in March 2003.

Angela Smith: The Regional Eating Disorders Working Group was established in June 2003 to take forward the recommendations of the Eating Disorders Consultation document. This work is being progressed through a number of subgroups. Achievements to date include the creation of specialist teams in each Health and Social Services Board and the development of a communication strategy aimed at providing information, advice, treatment or support for those suffering from eating disorders, their families and carers. This strategy was informed by research which also assisted in the development of an agreed regional service model. Additional training has been commissioned from the University of Ulster. The first module commenced in April 2004 and an E-learning module will be available from September 2005.

Eating Disorders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what dates the Regional Eating Disorders Working Group has met since its formation in June 2003.

Angela Smith: The Regional Eating Disorders Working Group has met on the following dates:
	27 June 2003
	14 October 2003
	14 January 2004
	23 March 2004
	4 June 2004
	15 September 2004.

Education Boards (IT Equipment)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the policy is of each Northern Ireland Education Board regarding members of staff using Board IT equipment for personal use during office hours.

Barry Gardiner: Individual Education and Library Boards operate under the Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards' Policy Document on Internet and E-mail usage, which has been agreed with the Trade Union Side of the Joint Negotiating Council for NI Education and Library Boards.
	The policy permits restricted personal use of the internet and e-mail facilities. Staff may use the facilities in their own time, providing that such use does not compromise the security of official data, result in increased costs or delays or have any negative impact on the Board's network or on the effective discharge of official business.

Educational Underachievement

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set up a task force to examine and report on underachievement in education in inner city areas in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: There are no plans at present to set up a task force to examine and report on underachievement in education in inner city areas here. Programmes such as the School Improvement Programme and the Education Action Zone initiative aim to target underachievement, especially in urban areas.

Electricity Consumers (Aid Package)

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he intends to introduce an aid package for electricity consumers in Northern Ireland; who the main beneficiaries of the package will be; whether the European Union has approved a package for electricity consumers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The 2003 budget included a proposal for a Government intervention of some 30 million a year aimed at bringing about an average decrease in electricity prices across the business sector of at least 10 per cent. below the levels they would otherwise have been, commencing 200405.
	The European Commission was informally consulted on the proposal and raised a number of concerns about its compliance with state aid guidelines.
	The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is exploring with legal advisers, the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation and the Department of Trade and Industry alternative options for securing the required EU support of the proposed intervention, with a view to its introduction at the earliest opportunity.
	In the meantime, the 30 million budget proposal remains available pending the identification of an acceptable way forward.

Employment Discrimination

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of (a) awards against Northern Ireland Departments decided by tribunals and (b) settlements outside tribunals in respect of claims of employment discrimination in the past five years.

Ian Pearson: During the five years (1 April 1999 to 31 March 2004), no awards were made by tribunals against Northern Ireland Departments (excluding Agencies and NDPBs) in relation to claims of employment discrimination. Over that same period, the total cost of settlements made by the Departments outside tribunals was 72,832.

Employment Discrimination

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what central mechanisms apply within Northern Ireland Departments in relation to evaluating the cost to public funds of defending or settling claims of employment discrimination.

Ian Pearson: There is no central evaluation mechanism in place. Decisions on whether to defend or settle claims of employment discrimination are taken by the Northern Ireland Department or agency concerned, on a case-by-case basis, in the context of professional advice from legal advisers, and the likely settlement costs against the cost of contesting a claim.

Employment Discrimination

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases alleging employment discrimination were brought by individuals against each of the Northern Ireland departments in the past three years; how many of these were challenged at tribunals; and how many of these were settled out of court.

Ian Pearson: During the past three years (1 April 2001 to 31 March 2004), 73 cases alleging employment discrimination were brought by individuals against Northern Ireland departments. Of those cases, 10 were challenged at tribunals and 18 were settled out of court. A breakdown by Department is as follows.
	Table showing the number of tribunal cases brought by individuals against NI departments (excluding agencies/NDPBs) during 1/4/01 to 31/3/04), the number challenged at tribunals and the number settled out of court.
	
		
			 Department Number of Cases Number Challenged at Tribunal Number Settled out of Court 
		
		
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 23 2 5 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure 2   
			 Education 7   
			 Employment and Learning 12 2 5 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Industry
			 Environment
			 Finance and Personnel 5 5 2 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 6 1 1 
			 Regional Development 6   
			 Social Development 7  4 
			 Office of the First Minister/Deputy First Minister 5  1 
			 Totals 73 10 18

Fixed Penalty Notices

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated additional cost is of processing a fixed penalty notice through the courts as compared with the cost of accepting payment of fixed penalty fines without court proceedings.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	Current systems do not apportion unit costs to these processes. However, a calculation has been undertaken based on staff and judicial salaries. No overheads such as accommodation and IT have been included in this calculation.
	The cost of processing a paid fixed penalty is 1.61, while the cost of processing an unpaid fixed penalty through the courts is 19.28.
	The additional cost of a fixed penalty being processed through the courts is therefore around 17.68.

Invalid Care Allowance

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are in receipt of invalid care allowance in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: Carers Allowance replaced Invalid Care Allowance in April 2003. At 26 August 2004 there were 43,031 people in receipt of Carers Allowance.

Invest NI

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps Invest Northern Ireland are taking to encourage the new owners of the old TK-ECC premises in Dundonald to attract employment opportunities to the area.

Barry Gardiner: As the factory and its associated site are privately owned, Invest NI has no direct role in encouraging its use to be maximised.
	However, Invest NI continues to be prepared, if requested, to work with the owners and their agents to market the property in line with the existing employment/industrial use for which it is currently zoned.

Nursery Places (North Belfast)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to fund full-time nursery places for children in (a) North Belfast and (b) Greater Shankill.

Barry Gardiner: With the exception of pre-school places at Hazelwood Integrated Primary School, which were created under the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme, all nursery places in North Belfast and the Greater Shankill area are full-time.
	Although full-time provision is often preferred by parents who have work commitments, extensive research, in both Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, shows that there is no additional educational benefit of attending full-time over part-time.
	The Pre-School Education Expansion Programme in Northern Ireland provides funding only for part-time provision. I have no plans to fund full-time nursery places at Hazelwood Integrated Primary School.

Pensions

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) female and (b) male pensioners in Northern Ireland are in receipt of the full basic state pension.

John Spellar: There are 95.9 per cent. of female pensioners and 98.3 per cent. of male pensioners currently in receipt of the full basic state pension (state retirement pension).

Pensions

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) female and (b) male pensioners in Northern Ireland are in receipt of pension credit.

John Spellar: There are 30.5 per cent. of female pensioners and 35.1 per cent. of male pensioners currently in receipt of Pension Credit.

Priority Spending Budget

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what comparative bids were submitted by individual departmental Ministers for consideration in the negotiations which preceded the Northern Ireland draft Priority Spending Budget; what reductions were made by the Treasury against these bids; and whether any Priority Spending Budget, agreed and implemented by direct rule Ministers, will be binding on a newly appointed Northern Ireland Executive.

Ian Pearson: In accordance with the Statement of Funding Policy between Treasury and the Devolved Administrations, the total sum available for the funding of public services in Northern Ireland is largely determined by the application of the population based Barnett formula to comparable Whitehall programmes. Within the Barnett-determined resource total the amounts allocated to individual spending programmes are at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with no Treasury involvement. Priorities and spending plans determined by the Secretary of State will not be binding on a restored Devolved Administration, and it will be open to that Administration to review and revise those plans within the framework of the Statement of Funding Policy.

Psychiatric Beds

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the level of occupancy of child and adolescent psychiatry in-patient beds in the Province.

Angela Smith: Child and adolescent psychiatry in-patient beds in the Province are operating at full occupancy at present.

Psychiatry Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what long-term work force planning has taken place for child and adolescent psychiatry services in the Province;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on (a) recruitment and (b) retention of qualified staff in child and adolescent psychiatry services in the Province.

Angela Smith: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety carry out an annual review of the consultant work force in each of the hospital-based specialties and the number in training are adjusted to meet the assessed need, subject to available resources. Work force plans for consultant child and adolescent psychiatrists indicate a need for sustained investment in training. As a result resources have been invested year on year in specialist training in this area, there are currently nine specialist trainees compared with four in 1999.
	In addition in October 2002 the Department initiated a wide-ranging independent review of the law, policy and service provision affecting people with a mental health problem or a learning disability. Among other things, this review is examining child and adolescent mental health services. It is likely that many of the recommendations from this review will have work force implications. The review is expected to complete towards the end of 2005.

Regional Cancer Centre

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on staff recruitment for the new regional cancer centre.

Angela Smith: Belfast City Hospital Trust developed a work force plan for the new regional cancer centre as part of the Outline Business Case for the centre. The development of the work force plan, which is kept under review, involved full consultation and agreement with the clinical professional heads of each service and was shared with commissioners in each Health and Social Services Board.
	Funding for the additional staff has been confirmed on a phased basis. In view of the lead-in time to train health professionals, funding has been secured to enable staff to be appointed and trained in time for the planned opening of the new cancer centre in 2006.

Regional Development Strategy

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Regional Development Strategy.

John Spellar: The Regional Development Strategy sets out a spatial development framework for Northern Ireland up to 2025. The vision is to create an outward-looking, dynamic and liveable region and to sustain a high quality of life for all.
	The Annual Report and Monitoring Report for 200304 on the progress in implementing the RDS are currently being prepared and will be published in November. Annual Reports and Monitoring Reports have been published for the periods 200102 and 200203. Copies are available in the House of Commons Library.

School Nurses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many school nurses per head of population of school age there are in the Province.

Angela Smith: In Northern Ireland, there is approximately one school nurse per 2,900 children and young people of school age.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: The cost of theft and fraud is estimated as follows:
	
		
			 
			  Departments Agencies NDPBs 
		
		
			 199798 18,364 104,495 53,055 
			 199899 90,028 121,363 7,813 
			 19992000 20,938 38,388 127,691 
			 200001 79,311 83,708 154,975 
			 200102 353,606 49,079 48,961 
			 200203 107,985 40,469 328,387 
			 200304 129,681 89,383 304,581

Water Charges

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Northern Ireland's rate charge is made up of a charge for water use.

Ian Pearson: The regional rate is an un-hypothecated tax, which means that no portion of it is a direct charge, or specifically earmarked, for any one particular service. Instead, the revenue raised is simply one component (around 6 per cent.) of the total amount available to the Secretary of State for allocation to public services provided at a regional level.

Water Charges

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there will be further consultation on the Government's proposed household water charges in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: An Integrated Impact Assessment on the proposals for Water Reform, including the basis for domestic water and sewerage charges, will be published shortly for public consultation. This will provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the impact of the policy proposals. The Government will take account of the responses to the consultation before producing draft primary legislation.

Water Charges

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the proposed increase in the regional rate will be allocated to water charges.

Ian Pearson: The regional rate is an un-hypothecated tax. Therefore, no portion of any proposed increases will be allocated to any one particular service.

Water Charges

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the core costs for a new water services body for Northern Ireland in each of the next five years.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Member in response to this question.
	Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Lady Hermon, dated 21 October 2004
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about the estimate he had made of the annual core costs, in each of the next five years, for a new water services body for Northern Ireland. I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	On 10 August 2004, the Minister of State, John Spellar, MP announced that Water Service was to become a Government Owned Company on, or as soon as practicable after, 1 April 2006. The costs outlined below reflect the figures for the three years to 200708 in the Draft Priorities and Budget announced on 10 October 2004. These are draft figures and as such could be subject to change. The Draft Budget process only covers the years 200506 to 200708 and figures are not available post 200708.
	
		
			 million 
			  Revenue Capital Total 
		
		
			 200506 119.8 269.4 389.2 
			 200607 121.3 224.5 345.8 
			 200708 117.7 218.1 335.8

Water Metering

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what he expects the earliest possible date for the introduction of household water metering to be; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: On 13 September 2004, I announced my proposals for the basis upon which household water and sewerage charges will be set. The announcement made clear that the new charges would be phased in from 200607, or as soon as practicable thereafter. In my statement I acknowledged the strong preference for metering by those who had expressed an opinion in the 2003 consultation exercise. In recognition of this, and despite the fact that metering was ruled out by the Northern Ireland Executive in its 2002 consultation on rating policy, I am proposing to make provision for household metering once charges are fully phased inthat is, the third year of charging. This will provide time to develop an approach to metering which promotes reduced consumption, is fair and affordable and which does not have unacceptable consequences for those on low incomes or vulnerable groups.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Beach Safety

Annette Brooke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with (a) other Government departments and (b) local authorities on safety on beaches.

Phil Hope: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents organised the National Water Safety Congress held in Brighton in March 2004 at which the National Water Safety Forum was launched. An important part of the Forum is the establishment of an advisory group on beach safety. Water safety is a subject that cuts across many Government Departments. Therefore, an inter-governmental group with representatives from the relevant Departments and devolved administrations has been established to interact with the Forum. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is represented on this group.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has met regularly with representatives of local authorities, other Government Departments with an interest and the providers of rescue services to discuss coastal safety including the safety of people using local beaches.

Circular 1/94

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact of large-scale and deliberate breaches of planning control by travellers in setting up large encampments on the integrity of the planning system.

Keith Hill: Local planning authorities have wide range of enforcement powers available to deal with breaches of planning control.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is however aware of the concerns surrounding the development of gypsy and traveller sites in breach of planning control. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is undertaking a thorough review of policy relating to gypsy and traveller accommodation needs including the advice given in circular 1/94 'Gypsy Sites and Planning' to ensure local authorities assess the accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers in their development plans and make provisions to meet those needs. This should help reduce instances where sites are developed without planning permission.

Council Housing

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants are on the waiting list for council properties in each local authority area in Tyne and Wear.

Keith Hill: The number of applicants on the waiting list for council properties in each local authority in Tyne and Wear are tabled.
	
		
			 Local authority Current waiting list 
		
		
			 Gateshead 10,037 
			 Newcastle 15,312 = Number registered under 'Choice Based Letting'some are existing tenants waiting for a move. 
			 North Tyneside 5,664 
			 South Tyneside 5,234 
			 Sunderland n/a as Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) occurred in 2001.

Council Housing

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses each local authority in Tyne and Wear has; and how many each had in 1997.

Keith Hill: The number of council houses in each local authority in Tyne and Wear at present, and in 1997, are tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Local authority  Stock at 1 April 2004 Stock at 1 April 1997 
		
		
			 Gateshead 23,494 28,545 
			 Newcastle 32,367 38,196 
			 North Tyneside (34)16,958 22,533 
			 South Tyneside (34)19,484 24,366 
			 Sunderland n/a as Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) occurred in 2001. 41,368 
		
	
	(34) at 1 October 2004

Council Housing

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with North Tyneside council regarding the council housing appraisal process.

Keith Hill: The Government Office North East Housing Team, including specialist staff from the Community Housing Task Force (CHTF) have been involved in an on-going discussion with North Tyneside metropolitan borough council (MBC) regarding the Option Appraisal process since June 2003 when the relevant guidance was published. Regular meetings with council officers, tenants and other interested parties are held and the Government Office's CHTF officer attends the Option Appraisal Steering Group in an advisory capacity. In recent times, meetings have been held at least monthly. Government Office is assisting all parties by facilitating training and encouraging positive action towards the evaluation of all available options in the lead up to a final decision in early 2005.

Council Tax

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people have been convicted for non-payment of council tax in each year since 2000.

Nick Raynsford: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence. However, a local authority may apply to the magistrate for a person to be committed to prison if a bailiff has been unable to find sufficient goods to seize in order to meet the debt. The magistrate may only issue a warrant of commitment if the non-payment is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect on the part of the council taxpayer.
	The Government do not collect council tax enforcement statistics, but from information supplied by some local authorities to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy it is estimated that the number of people in England committed to prison for non payment of council tax is as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200001 65 
			 200102 80 
			 200203 72 
		
	
	Figures for more recent years are not yet available.

Council Tax

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to increase the number of council tax bands pending the longer term review of local government finance.

Nick Raynsford: The Government have accepted the Balance of Funding Review's conclusion that council tax in England should be retained but reformed. There is a statutory requirement for a revaluation in 2007, but no decisions have yet been made on what the reform should be. The Government now look to Sir Michael Lyons' Independent Inquiry to make recommendations on any changes that are necessary and how to implement them.

Decent Homes Standard

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities in England he expects to meet the Government's Decent Homes Standard by 2010; and if he will list those which are expected not to achieve the Standard.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects all stock owning local authorities to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010.

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent approximately 11.2 million centrally on outside information communication and technology consultants and contractors during the 200304 financial year.

Fire Service Pensions

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the gap is in funding for Fire Service pensions.

Phil Hope: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme is an unfunded scheme and fire and rescue authorities pay pensions from revenue. Members' pension contributions are treated as revenue. The cost of pensions is increasing and the value of the benefits is now estimated to be 37.5 per cent. of pensionable pay. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of the problems which the current arrangements cause and have already announced that we will be publishing proposals on future financing arrangements for consultation in early 2005.

Fire Service Pensions

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Fire Brigades Union on pensions.

Phil Hope: The Fire Brigades Union is represented on the Firefighters' Pensions Committee, which provides a forum for discussion of pension issues and is the usual channel for the consultation required by section 34(5) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. The Committee replaces a sub-committee of the former Central Fire Brigades Advisory Committee. The Committee meets quarterly.

Fire Service Pensions

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to raise the normal retirement age for firefighters to (a) 55 and (b) 65 years.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published proposals on 13 October for changes to the pension arrangements for firefighters, including proposals that the minimum pension age under the existing pension scheme should be raised to age 55 from April 2006; and that the normal pension age under a new pension scheme for new entrants to the Fire and Rescue Service should be age 65, with alternative options including a normal pension age of 60 and possibly allowing members to take their pension at age 55, at the discretion of the employer. Consultation will end on 14 January 2005 and we will take decisions on the structure of the new arrangements as soon as possible thereafter.

Gypsies/Travellers

Peter Luff: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what role the Government expects (a) regional assemblies, (b) regional housing boards and (c) regional planning boards to play in the formulation and development of policies to deal with gypsies;
	(2)  what account local authorities will be required to take of the (a) national and (b) regional need for traveller sites when allocating land for such sites in their local development plans.

Keith Hill: The assessments of housing need that underpin Local Housing Strategies should include the accommodation needs of gypsies and travellers. Clauses in the current Housing Bill would give statutory force to this.
	These assessments are an essential part of the evidence base that informs Regional Housing Strategies (RHSs) and Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs). Regional Assemblies and Regional Housing Boards have an important role to play in working with authorities to ensure that these assessments are robust and consistent across the region.
	There will be close co-ordination in the production of revised RHSs and RSSs to ensure that they reflect the need for gypsies' and travellers' pitches. The RSS will set out the level of pitch provision to be provided in each local authority area. The identification of where the sites should be in each authority's area or how windfall sites will be determined will be the responsibility of the local planning authorities in preparing their Development Plan Documents (DPDs). Under the 2004 Act, it is a requirement that DPDs are in general conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Homeless People (London)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless people there were in Greater London in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) borough.

Keith Hill: Information collected about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is in respect of households, rather than persons. This is collected quarterly through P1E returns. Although a breakdown by age of head of household is not collected, the return does distinguish acceptances where the applicant's priority need category was recorded as being aged 16 to 17 years old, or formerly in care and aged 18 to 20 years old. These two categories were introduced as part of the extension to priority need entitlement under the 2002 Order; prior to the third quarter of 2002, the priority need groups distinguished vulnerable young persons, which was applied at the discretion of authorities.
	A summary of available information reported by London boroughs about the total number of households eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and of those how many were headed by a young person in each year since 1997 is in the table.
	
		Total homeless households reported as accepted 1 by London boroughs and, of which, those categorised as young persons 2,3
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 
			  Total Young persons(36) Total Young persons(36) Total Young persons(36) Total Young persons(36) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 140 4 226 14 215 10 278 14 
			 Barnet 856 23 986 24 1,065 14 1,208 11 
			 Bexley 173 0 405 0 246 0 343 0 
			 Brent 1,300 43 (38) (38) 969 0 1,169 4 
			 Bromley 578 2 703 1 809 1 885 0 
			 Camden 1,345 7 1,571 11 1,429 5 1,009 9 
			 City of London 38 0 63 0 60 0 24 1 
			 Croydon 1,286 19 791 12 1,157 7 1,668 19 
			 Ealing 979 1 1,036 4 989 10 997 13 
			 Enfield 773 3 781 8 752 5 912 19 
			 Greenwich 1,191 25 1,406 15 1,302 6 1,233 19 
			 Hackney (38) (38) 665 2 872 6 869 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 584 3 690 0 758 3 973 13 
			 Haringey (38) (38) 963 3 1,388 3 (38) (38) 
			 Harrow 618 0 713 1 713 1 680 6 
			 Havering 272 18 (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) 
			 Hillingdon 915 2 941 0 772 0 858 13 
			 Hounslow 930 38 1,013 23 (38) (38) 1,085 7 
			 Islington 960 15 (38) (38) 1,312 28 1,485 47 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 598 0 (38) (38) 552 0 612 11 
			 Kingston upon Thames 374 0 (38) (38) 296 0 400 6 
			 Lambeth 825 22 946 33 1,212 74 1,006 36 
			 Lewisham (38) (38) 1,038 1 1,241 2 891 23 
			 Merton 216 0 185 0 251 0 178 0 
			 Newham (38) (38) (38) (38) 1,687 18 1,353 16 
			 Redbridge 287 1 314 1 438 3 430 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 544 1 621 2 503 6 321 3 
			 Southwark 893 66 1,071 43 1,572 74 1,414 35 
			 Sutton 293 12 290 20 478 19 432 19 
			 Tower Hamlets (38) (38) 1,010 9 1,147 6 1,275 13 
			 Waltham Forest 795 0 1,054 0 (38) (38) 906 0 
			 Wandsworth 454 0 (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) 
			 Westminster 1,144 0 (38) (38) 1,199 0 1,037 0 
		
	
	
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
			  Total Young persons(36) Total Young persons2,3 Total Young persons(37) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 307 24 502 41 689 82 
			 Barnet 1,134 35 (38) (38) (38) (38) 
			 Bexley 459 0 474 2 372 5 
			 Brent 1,256 0 1,033 21 956 63 
			 Bromley 854 1 807 18 905 53 
			 Camden 1,090 19 1,281 56 1,510 118 
			 City of London 11 0 30 1 22 2 
			 Croydon 1,432 11 1,116 9 1,409 73 
			 Ealing 844 0 946 4 1,190 45 
			 Enfield 1,235 19 1,133 50 1,072 93 
			 Greenwich 1,161 30 1,135 57 1,021 149 
			 Hackney (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) (38) 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 853 63 804 86 746 122 
			 Haringey 1,961 6 (38) (38) (38) (38) 
			 Harrow 522 9 440 2 296 7 
			 Havering (38) (38) 134 2 416 26 
			 Hillingdon 1,160 11 870 11 888 46 
			 Hounslow 1,415 32 895 51 692 73 
			 Islington 1,549 79 1,275 57 (38) (38) 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 648 18 419 5 463 23 
			 Kingston upon Thames 439 3 (38) (38) 426 42 
			 Lambeth 1,411 57 1,549 91 1,632 194 
			 Lewisham (38) (38) 1,104 43 1,559 134 
			 Merton 164 0 176 0 180 16 
			 Newham 1,564 29 1,348 27 1,542 83 
			 Redbridge (38) (38) 734 8 (38) (38) 
			 Richmond upon Thames 408 14 358 17 320 51 
			 Southwark 1,741 18 1,560 31 1,671 106 
			 Sutton 459 24 451 45 344 56 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,334 20 1,530 32 1,701 99 
			 Waltham Forest 1,153 7 1,121 39 1,048 76 
			 Wandsworth 916 38 1,041 53 1,095 121 
			 Westminster 1,253 1 1,093 17 1,060 80 
		
	
	(35) All households eligible under homelessness legislation, and found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category. 2,3 From 2002 Q3, young person reflects acceptances of 16 to 17-year-olds, and 18 to 20-year-olds previously in care. Prior to this, authorities reported cases classified as vulnerable young person. Data was not collected for either category in 2002 Q2.
	(36) Data unavailable or incomplete.
	(37)
	(38)
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)

House Prices

Karen Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average price of a house in England was in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 2000; and if he will estimate (i) the current price of the same dwelling if its value had risen at the rate of the retail price index and (ii) the current price of the same dwelling if its valuation had risen at the same average level as house prices over that period.

Keith Hill: The average price of a house in England in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 2000 was as shown in column A of the following table.
	(i) Had property prices since 1980/1990/2000 then risen in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI), their current value (as of August 2004) would have been as set out in column B.
	(ii) If the average property in 1980/1990/2000 had risen in price by the same as the average rise in house prices then its current value (as of August 2004) would be the same as the average property in England in August 2004, namely 191,970.
	
		
			
			  Average price of a property in England Notional current price of the 1980/1990/2000 property had house prices risen in line with the RPI 
			  Column A Column B 
		
		
			 1980 23,957 67,165 
			 1990 63,173 93,877 
			 2000 114,335 125,823 
		
	
	Sources:
	Property prices: Survey of Mortgage Lenders, ODPM
	Retail Prices Index: Office for National Statistics

Housing

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the demand for affordable housing (a) in Warrington and (b) in the north-west over the next five years.

Keith Hill: The information is as follows:
	(a) In the case of Warrington, it is of course for the borough council to make an assessment of affordable housing needs. They have done so in their draft unitary development plan (UDP) which has recently been tested at a public inquiry. The council has identified a current shortfall of 42 dwellings per year. A policy has been included in the UDP to enable the council, when determining planning applications, to negotiate for an element of affordable housing on proposed schemes.
	(b) The regional spatial strategy for the north-west does not quantify the overall need for affordable housing in the region, but identifies areas where there is likely to be the greatest need. These needs will then be addressed in local plans.

Housing

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants are on the waiting list for council properties in each local authority in the north-west.

Keith Hill: According to the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendices supplied by North West Local Authorities, the total number of applicants on the housing register as of 1 April 2004 was as follows.
	
		Total households (on the housing register at 1 April 2004)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Allerdale 1,460 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 1,291 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 4,528 
			 Blackpool 4,970 
			 Bolton 18,490 
			 Burnley 1,482 
			 Bury 2,386 
			 Carlisle 2,907 
			 Chester 3,328 
			 Chorley 1,643 
			 Congleton 1,092 
			 Copeland 1,089 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 2,554 
			 Eden 1,530 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 1,618 
			 Fylde 2,097 
			 Halton 1,931 
			 Hyndburn 2,392 
			 Knowsley 2,425 
			 Lancaster 2,151 
			 Liverpool 6,376 
			 Macclesfield 3,097 
			 Manchester 16,564 
			 Oldham 4,587 
			 Pendle 1,631 
			 Preston 1,848 
			 Ribble Valley 815 
			 Rochdale 7,231 
			 Rossendale 1,684 
			 Salford 8,644 
			 Sefton 9,846 
			 South Lakeland 2,751 
			 South Ribble 692 
			 St. Helens 3,854 
			 Stockport 4,692 
			 Tameside 6,352 
			 Trafford 10,443 
			 Vale Royal 2,547 
			 Warrington 4,430 
			 West Lancashire 2,545 
			 Wigan 5,684 
			 Wirral 8,215 
			 Wyre 1,944

Housing

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council houses each local authority in the North West owns; and how many each owned in 1997.

Keith Hill: According to the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendices supplied by North West local authorities, the total number of council properties owned as at 1 April for both the years 2004 and 1997 are as follows:
	
		Dwelling stock position in authority area at 1 April
		
			 Local authority 1997 2004 
		
		
			 Allerdale 4,652 0 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 3,622 3,030 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 11,243 122 
			 Blackpool 6,346 5,617 
			 Bolton 22,540 20,070 
			 Burnley 5,662 0 
			 Bury 9,821 8,781 
			 Carlisle 8,827 16 
			 Chester 7,363 0 
			 Chorley 3,538 3,087 
			 Congleton 4,170 0 
			 Copeland 4,602 3,814 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 6,995 0 
			 Eden 1,536 0 
			 Ellesmere Port and 7,360 6,065 
			 Fylde 2,003 0 
			 Halton 7,893 6,670 
			 Hyndburn 3,971 3,437 
			 Knowsley 19,946 0 
			 Lancaster 4,469 3,988 
			 Liverpool 45,674 19,906 
			 Macclesfield 6,783 5,265 
			 Manchester 64,247 45,841 
			 Oldham 20,637 15,708 
			 Pendle 4,237 3,684 
			 Preston 9,289 6,714 
			 Ribble Valley 1,442 1,223 
			 Rochdale 17,518 15,503 
			 Rossendale 4,966 4,135 
			 Salford 32,280 27,496 
			 Sefton 14,468 12,370 
			 South Lakeland 4,130 3,320 
			 South Ribble 0 0 
			 St Helens 16,513 0 
			 Stockport 13,909 12,192 
			 Tameside 18,443 0 
			 Trafford 11,536 9,694 
			 Vale Royal 8,046 0 
			 Warrington 11,537 9,342 
			 West Lancashire 8,774 7,157 
			 Wigan 27,980 24,598 
			 Wirral 19,174 14,430 
			 Wyre 0 0

Housing

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes are available for rent from housing associations in each local authority in the North West; and how many were available in 1997.

Keith Hill: According to the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendices supplied by North West local authorities, the total number of homes available for rent from housing associations as at 1 April for both the years 2004 and 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			 RSL dwelling stock position in authority area at 1 April 2004 1997 
		
		
			 Allerdale 8,584 4,812 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 649 566 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 12,023 2,768 
			 Blackpool 1,585 850 
			 Bolton 6,976 5,696 
			 Burnley 6,304 1,443 
			 Bury 4,092 2,341 
			 Carlisle 7,981 1,084 
			 Chester 7,901 1,243 
			 Chorley 3,278 3,567 
			 Congleton 4,212 364 
			 Copeland 3,024 3,313 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 6,295 857 
			 Eden 2,265 634 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 796 668 
			 Fylde 2,299 n/a 
			 Halton 7,881 8,398 
			 Hyndburn 1,664 1,288 
			 Knowsley 19,510 4,068 
			 Lancaster 2,443 1,685 
			 Liverpool 44,551 25,433 
			 Macclesfield 3,201 1,275 
			 Manchester 28,418 17,673 
			 Oldham 7,122 3,942 
			 Pendle 1,234 921 
			 Preston 6,251 3,743 
			 Kibble Valley 511 419 
			 Rochdale 8,438 3,917 
			 Rossendale 859 900 
			 Salford 6,523 5,750 
			 Sefton 6,868 6,630 
			 South Lakeland 854 684 
			 South Kibble 4,917 4,932 
			 St Helens 17,415 3,811 
			 Stockport 4,615 4,457 
			 Tameside 19,742 3,602 
			 Trafford 6,794 4,306 
			 Vale Royal 7,484 757 
			 Warrington 4,589 5,031 
			 West Lancashire 929 817 
			 Wigan 3,499 2,647 
			 Wirral 8,398 6,637 
			 Wyre 3,707 3,364

Housing

Alan Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the demand for affordable housing in (a) North Tyneside and (b) the North East over the next five years.

Keith Hill: The assessment of demand for housing is best carried out by those responsible locally for such matters. In February this year, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published a Housing Market Assessment Manual. This encourages local authorities to work in partnership with each other and other stakeholders to develop a more strategic view of housing need and demand at the sub-regional housing market level.
	The North East Housing Board is currently considering the issue of affordable housing in the region as part of the work being carried out to update the regional housing strategy which will be submitted to the Government in May 2005. The local demand for affordable homes should therefore feature in the work currently being undertaken by the Tyne and Wear Housing Partnership.

Housing Renewal Pathfinder Areas

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what documentation he has received from Pendle Council concerning its willingness to participate in the housing renewal strategy for the area; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Pendle Borough Council accepted in 2002 the Government's invitation to establish, jointly with other local authorities in the East Lancashire sub-region, a market renewal pathfinder. As a participating authority, it expressed its support for the strategy and programme developed by the pathfinder, Elevate, earlier this year. The council continues to be a participating authority with membership of the pathfinder's governing body and has responsibility for the delivery of the programme in its area.

Local Authority Debt

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the funding requirement for local authority debt has been in each year since 1997; and what the projected requirement is for this financial year.

Nick Raynsford: The amount as reported by local authorities since 199798 as the cost of their debt is tabled as follows.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 3,936 
			 199899 3,874 
			 19992000 3,756 
			 200001 3,650 
			 200102 3,630 
			 200203 3,516 
			 200304 3,553 
			 200405 3,614 
		
	
	Note:
	The data show actual outturn figures for all years except 200304 and 200405 which are budget estimates. The data are the sum of the amount of external interest payments made by authorities and their provisions for the repayment of principal.
	Source:
	Local Government Financial StatisticsEngland: various years

Local Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on reform of local government since 1997; and what the costs of that reform have been.

Nick Raynsford: The measures the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has taken to modernise local government are leading to an improvement in local authorities' performance. For example, the second year of Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) results for single tier and county councils showed that councils are making real improvements in their delivery of key services. Nearly a third of all 150 authorities achieved a higher star rating for Social Services and only two local authorities failed to make any improvements in education. Furthermore, 55 per cent. of all single tier and county councils are now rated 'good' or 'excellent'.
	Also, the interim findings of the Cardiff Business School's evaluation of the long-term impact of best value in English local authorities from 2001 until 2005 suggest that best value is having a positive impact on the internal culture of many local authorities and better outcomes for local people.
	Furthermore, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recognised the need to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for councils and last year (200304) saw a reduction in inspection for local authorities of around one third and a reduction of 90 per cent. for top performers. We have also cut the number of plans authorities are required to produce by 75 per cent. Apart from the money that is set aside for schools, we are reducing the percentage of grant that is ring-fenced and expect this to be in single figures by next year.
	Since 1997, the Government have undertaken a wide-ranging number of reforms as part of the Local Government modernisation agenda. However, information about the costs of these reforms is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Local Government Finance

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has received from the Office for National Statistics the 2001 Census data for Worcestershire.

Nick Raynsford: Yes. 2001 Census data were released in stages by the Office for National Statistics. It was necessary to specially commission a number of tables that were released later. The final indicator data used in the Local Government Finance Settlement that is derived from the 2001 Census was released on 21 October 2004.

Local Government Finance

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the financial impact of continued use of the 1991 Census data when calculating grants for Worcestershire county council.

Nick Raynsford: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil on 19 October 2004, Official Report, columns 57071W.

Local Government Finance

Paul Keetch: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what census data he uses to calculate the Standard Spending Assessment Grant to Herefordshire Council; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The data indicators used to calculate the 200405 Local Government Finance Settlement are described in Annex D of The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2004/2005. A copy of this document is available in the Library of the House.

Mobile Telephones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. Since then the number of mobile phones used by Ministers and Special Advisers, and the associated costs (including purchase, line rental, and call charges) are tabled as follows.
	
		
			  Number of mobile phones used Cost () 
		
		
			 30 May 200231 March 2003 3 2,071 
			 1 April 200331 March 2004 6 3,756 
			 1 April 200430 September 2004 6 2,250 
		
	
	The number of these lost and stolen, and the cost of replacement, is as follows:
	
		
			  Number lost Number stolen Cost of replacement () 
		
		
			 30 May 200231 March 2003 0 1 213.56 
			 1 April 200331 March 2004 1 0 82 
			 1 April 200430 September 2004 1 0 82 
		
	
	Information on mobile phones used by officials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Park Homes

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of complaints regarding park homes; and what investigations have been made regarding such complaints;
	(2)  how many complaints regarding the operation of park homes were received by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures exist; and how many of these were (a) investigated and (b) substantiated;
	(3)  what proportion of park homes have been the subject of (a) multiple substantiated complaints and (b) any complaints over each of the last five years for which figures exist.

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Complaints about the condition of a park home site will normally be dealt with by the local authority responsible for the issue, monitoring and enforcement the site licence conditions. Complaints about the terms of contract are handled by the courts or if agreed by both parties, an arbitration service.
	The Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, has no locus in respect of such complaints. But in response to representations from the industry and park home residents we set up the park homes working party in 1998 and have acted on their recommendations through measures in the current Housing Bill. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be consulting shortly on how best to take forward a number of the remaining recommendations of the working party.

Planning (Consultation)

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral statement by the parliamentary Under-Secretary on 18 October 2004, Official Report, column 745, what form the public consultation exercise relating to part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 will take.

Keith Hill: The public consultation exercise relating to part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 will be initiated early next year by the publication of a consultation document on the Government's proposals for amending the Order and follow the Code of Practice on Consultation published by the Cabinet Office.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to section 37 of the Draft Regional Assemblies Bill (Cm. 6285), what estimate he has made of the annual cost of the provision of pension benefits for north east regional assembly members and employees; and what plans he has to set limits on (a) the making of payments towards the provision of pension benefits and (b) the cost of the establishment and administration of schemes for the provision of pension benefits;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of what the total value of a regional assembly member's pension benefits will be after 30 years in post.

Nick Raynsford: Assemblies will, as good employers, be expected to provide suitable pension benefits for employees and meet the reasonable costs involved. I do not propose to set any limits on payments to be made towards pension benefits or on the cost of administration of pension schemes.
	Member salaries and pension benefits will be a matter for each assembly, although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will ask the Senior Salaries Review Body to recommend initial salary levels. The north east assembly will have 25 members most of whom will be paid on a part-time basis. It is unlikely that many members would remain in office for 30 years, and any estimate of the likely value of pension benefits for anyone serving that length of time would be highly speculative.

Telecommunication Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure best practice and a common approach are adopted in relation to planning procedures relating to mobile phone masts.

Keith Hill: Best Practice in relation to planning for mobile phone network developments is set out in the Code of Best Practice for Mobile Phone Network Development. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is commissioning a study to assess the impact that the code has had since its introduction and how local authorities have implemented the code and how the public perceives its operation.
	This will provide the Government with evidence on whether the code has been effective and whether there are any areas of weakness that need to be addressed. In light of this evidence the Government will consider whether any changes to the code are appropriate.

Telecommunication Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of telecommunication installations completed in the last 12 months have been allowed under the permitted development rights conferred under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.

Keith Hill: The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Telecommunication Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has made to the Mobile Operators Association on improving consultation with local communities on the development of telecommunication equipment in their area.

Keith Hill: Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister meet regularly with the Mobile Operators Association to discuss a range of issues including the operators' progress in meeting their commitments to improved local consultation.

Town and Country Planning Act

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to enhance the policing of agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990; and what advice he plans to offer to local authorities to ensure that developers deliver on their commitments.

Keith Hill: Section 106 agreements (Planning Obligations) are binding legal agreements between the parties involved, and as such are enforceable by the courts. It is therefore for local authorities to monitor the implementation of planning obligations and take action where appropriate. The Government are due to issue shortly a revised draft circular on planning obligations for consultation, which will include updated guidance on the monitoring and implementation of planning obligations. The final circular, due to be published in spring 2005, will be accompanied by Good Practice Guidance which will also cover this issue.